


Lilith Copper and the Thread of the Damned

by moriahisnotevil



Series: The Adventures of Lilith Copper [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Language, Other, Post-Death in the Family, Violence, disturbing imagery, scary moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-09-16 01:06:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16944099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moriahisnotevil/pseuds/moriahisnotevil
Summary: In this alternate dimension of Rowling's magical world, Lilith Copper is the main character. She is a nervous first year trying to fit in with the other students. On the train she meets Harry Potter, Ron Weasley , and Ron's twin sister, Emily. Together, Lilith and her friends have several encounters with a very mysterious girl named Margret, associated with several strange occurrences during their first year at Hogwarts, all starting within a few days of their arrival. I will edit the summary as needed.





	1. Automatic Friendship

   Lilith Copper made her way nervously through the Hogwarts Express, head down and black, curly hair partially obscuring her brown eyes, trailing her luggage behind her with fidgeting hands, trying to find a compartment without so many students in it. Being a first year, she was very nervous. She didn't know anyone she saw on this train, let alone what house she might be in. She was beginning to wonder if she would fit in at all.

"Excuse me." Slightly startled, Lilith turned around to see a skinny, red haired, and freckly boy walking toward her, alongside a girl with the same hair, albeit much longer. If Lilith could hazard a guess, she'd say these two were twins, or at least siblings, because apart from their hair length and gender, they looked almost identical. The boy spoke again. "Hi. I'm wondering if you'd like to help us find a compartment to sit in? You are a first year, like us, aren't you?"  
 

 "Sure! Yeah, um...yeah. I'm Lilith Copper. What are your names?"

   "Oh! Sorry, I'm Ron Weasley, and this is my twin, Emily."  
 

 "Hi", said the girl, holding out her hand. Lilith shook it, hands still sweaty and fidgeting. They continued searching the train for a compartment. Finally, after maybe five more minutes, they came to one. It wasn't empty, but held only one occupant. Another first year. He was a bit skinny, with untidy black hair and thick, round glasses. Approaching the compartment and opening the door, Emily asked, "Hey, Ron, is that the boy we helped out at the train station?" The boy turned in his seat to look at the three people now approaching. Smiling, he said, a bit sarcastically,

 "Yeah, I think it is. He can hear you, you know. By the way, my name is Harry Potter." He held out his hand for each of them to shake in turn. Emily blushed.

   "I wasn't trying to hide it. Anyway, I'm glad to have already made a friend." Harry's smile broadened.  
 

 "Bold of you to assume automatic friendship." He sighed when Emily looked taken aback. "I'm sorry. Of course we're friends. How can we not be, after what you did for me back there at the train station? It's just...sudden. I've hardly got any friends in the muggle world."  
 

 "You don't live with a witch and wizard? Are you muggle born? Sorry," said Lilith. "I didn't mean any harm. I had a great granddad who was muggle born but of course I don't know much about him."

   "It's alright", said Harry. "My parents were a witch and wizard, but they were killed during the war against Voldemort, a year after I was born. No, I live with my uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia Dursley, and my cousin, Dudley. He's alright, but my aunt and uncle have been terrible ever since I can remember. I don't know why they even bothered to tell me that I'm of magical blood as soon as I started showing my first signs of magic. Maybe just to have something else to shout at me for. Sorry, I'm talking too much. What did you say your name was again?"  
 

 "It's alright. M-my name is Li--ahem. Lilith." There was silence for a few minutes. Then the lunch trolley stopped by their compartment, pushed by a very kind-looking old lady.  
 

 "Anything from the trolley, my dears?" Immediately, Emily, Ron, and Lilith jumped up. Lilith got a bit of everything. Ron and Emily bought a few pumpkin pasties and some chocolate frogs to share. It wasn't until they sat back down that they noticed Harry hadn't bought anything. He simply remained in his seat, petting his snowy owl through a cage he now had in his lap.  
 

 "Don't you want anything?" she asked politely.  
 

 "No, I er...I'm...not hungry."  
 

 "Are you sure?"  
 

 "Yeah."

   Ron raised his eyebrows skeptically. Harry sighed.  
 

 "Alright, the truth is, I don't have a lot of money. I'm trying to save what I've got." Emily, Ron, and Lilith all nodded to each other. Lilith dumped half of her contents into Harry's lap. Ron threw him two chocolate frogs, and Emily gave him a few pumpkin pasties.  
 

 "Eat something, please", said Ron. "My family don't like to see people starve."  
 

 "Especially if we've got food right in front of us", added Emily.  
   

"You do look famished", said Lilith. "Please eat."

   Harry smiled at them, put his owl's cage on the luggage rack, said, "Thank you!" and began to dig in. A few hours passed, with occasional conversation. Lilith was still a bit nervous, but she was beginning to warm up to these three. According to Harry, Ron and Emily, the previously mentioned situation about Harry being helped went like this. Upon arriving at the train station, Harry's uncle Vernon had demanded that he leave his wand with him and Aunt Petunia, so that he could study from the books here, then practice with a wand for an hour a day when he came home for the summer. Harry had tried to explain that this was not how magical education worked, and Vernon had started shouting at the top of his lungs about this being a very lazy method of teaching.

    "WAVING A STICK AND SHOUTING GIBBERISH ISN'T TEACHING! IT'S STUPIDITY! GIVE ME THAT DAMN STICK!"  
This shouting spell was the last straw for Dudley, who had, as usual, taken Harry's side and tried to reason with his dad.

   "Harry's the wizard, not you! He'd probably know a bit more than--"  
 

 SMACK!  
 

 Vernon had hit his son over the head, and was aiming for Harry, when Ron and Emily, who had been watching the whole time, had run up and pulled a startled, flailing Harry away from the situation toward platform nine and three quarters, Ron shouting, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, hitting your bloody children!"  
 

 "Ron!"  
 

 "Sorry, mum, this boy was just about to be hit by his father..."  
 

 "Uncle, actually", Harry had corrected them. Shortly afterward, it had been time to board the train. Now, here they all sat, automatic friends, sharing food and having conversation, Harry stroking his owl, which he called Hedwig, again. Emily leaned towards Lilith and whispered,  
 

 "I won't be surprised if he starts dating that owl." Lilith couldn't help it. For the first time since waking up this morning to catch the train, she laughed. Harry stopped petting his owl and looked up.  
 

 "At least you're happy right now. I'm actually nervous. I don't even know what house I'll be in."  
 

 "None of us really know yet, do we?" asked Lilith. "I may be laughing, but I'm just as nervous as you are." The next few hours were mostly quiet. Ron had pulled out one of his school books, "Hogwarts, A  History", and begun to read it. Emily sat with earphones in, and Harry gave Lilith permission to admire and pet his owl. After a while, Emily took out her earphones and broke the silence.  
 

 "I'm excited."  
 

 "Why?" Lilith asked curiously.  
 

 "Well, being at Hogwarts will be kind of like a second life."  
 

 "A second life?"  
 

  "Sure! Meeting new people, learning what's in our blood, having occasional events that we're welcome to invite our parents to! I might try out for Quidditch, so Mum and Dad can come watch me...what's the matter?" Lilith had made a sudden choking sound.

   "N-nothing. I agree. Second life. Try out for Quidditch.." Lilith burst into tears. She couldn't do it. She couldn't bottle it up any longer.  
 

  "Oh dear", said Harry, and got up to offer a hug. "What is it?" Lilith felt ashamed of herself. She accepted the hug and said, between sobs,  
 

 "I'm s-sorry. I know I j-just met you three! It's just th-that, my mum p-passed a few months ag-go, and she was l-looking forward to seeing me off t-t-to school! Now my f-father is all alone at h-home! I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to break down like th-this."

   "We all need to cry", Ron said to her, handing her his last chocolate frog and a small container of pumpkin juice.  
 

 "I'm sorry for your loss", said Emily, walking over to sooth her as well.  
 

 "Don't worry", said Harry. "It'll be alright. You can use Hedwig to write your dad as soon as we get to the school. Speaking of which", he added curiously, "It's dark. Are we nearly there?"  
 

 "We are there", said Ron. "Look out the window." They all turned to look and, sure enough, looming through the darkness, they could see the many lights of the Hogwarts castle winking at them, calm and welcoming.


	2. The Sorting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first years are sorted into their houses.

      When the train finally stopped, there was a kind of hurried shuffle as everyone quickly put on their coats, bracing to step out into the cold night. Lilith glanced at Harry, who was pulling on a very thin, dirty coat that was ripped in several spots. Ron happened to have an extra coat, so when they stepped off the train and Harry began to shiver violently, he hastily threw his spare coat to Harry, who threw it on with a relieved, "Thanks."  
   

  "Don't mention it."  
   

  "We should probably stick together", said Emily to the rest of them, "so we can figure out where to go."  
   

  "That way, if one of us gets lost," added Ron, "we all do."     

     "Exactly." They began to move forward, trying to keep up with the rest of the crowd. They didn't need to keep this up for long, however, because a loud, clear voice began to shout,  
 

   "First years, over here, please! First years this way!"  
   

 They turned their heads wildly to search for the owner of the voice. Finally, they saw who it was. A witch, her black hair tied in a bun, wearing robes of deep scarlet, and holding a lantern. Immediately, all the first years gravitated in her direction. "My name is Professor McGonagall," she told them in a voice as sharp as her bespectacled face. "You will follow me, and I will lead you where you need to be."  
With that, she simply turned and began to lead them with her lantern. She led them around the edge of a forest which looked like Lilith wouldn't enter if her life depended on it, until they arrived at a huge black lake, where she began to assign them, two at a time, into boats. Lilith ended up in a boat with Harry, Ron in another with his twin. Once they were settled in the boats, Professor McGonagall instructed them to follow her again, making sure at least one person in each boat knew how to row. Luckily, no adjustments needed to be made in this regard.

     'I'm starving', thought Lilith. 'I hope there'll be food.' She also wished they could hurry up and get this over with, because apart from being hungry, she was also exhausted from the long train ride. Taking the oars in her now shivering hands, she began to follow the progress of the lantern from McGonnigal's boat. They rowed for what must have been half an hour, until finally they reached their destination. This little ride, they were told, was supposed to be so they could get a good view, and partial tour, of the outside of the castle. Maybe it was beautiful, but right now, she really didn't care. She just wanted to be warm, get fed, and assure that Harry, who was also shivering and breathing in her ear, kept to his promise of letting her borrow his owl.. They finally stopped and were able to get out of the boats, which was a relief, as they'd been sitting for hours just to get here. Professor McGonagall led them up the stone steps to the huge oak front doors to Hogwarts castle, where she knocked, surprisingly loudly.  
The doors opened immediately, and they were greeted by somebody else: an old man with long, silver hair and beard, and shiny black wizards robes.

     "I will take them from here, Professor McGonagall. You may go to the staff table."  
 

   "Thank you, Aberforth", she said, not sounding at all as if she meant it. Lilith saw Professor Aberforth roll his eyes and give McGonagall a nasty look behind her back, before turning to the students and saying, very politely,  
 

   "Welcome. Please come inside so I can explain what you'll need to do." The students gladly did as they were told, relieved to be inside the warm, well lit space. "Now", he said as soon as they were all inside, "My name is Professor Aberforth. As my brother also works in this castle, as Transfiguration teacher, there will be no need to call me by my last name, but I will be glad to tell you. My last name is Dumbledore." He paused to stifle a yawn. "In a few minutes," he continued, "you will be led into the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Your house, as some of you already know, if your parents have discussed Hogwarts with you, will be your family here. You will share a common room, each of your classes, and if one person loses points, the entire house loses them. You will learn more about your house as the year progresses. Now, you may recall that you were asked to leave your luggage on the train. This is because it will be brought to your dormitories for you. Not to worry, it will all be in one peace. You are also permitted to visit a friend in another house, if you wish. Before I go and inform the headmaster that you are here, does anybody have questions?"  
 

   "I have one", said Harry. "What will you be teaching us?"  
   

 "Good question, young man. I will be your potions master. Any more questions?" When nobody else seemed to have any, he said simply, "Good. I shall go and tell the headmaster we are ready." He turned and walked through the door that led into the Great Hall, leaving them to chat among themselves and look around.  
 

   "How d'you think we'll be sorted?" asked Harry, sounding more anxious than Lilith felt.  
 

   "I think my dad said something about a sorting hat. It's going to sing a song, and then we'll all put it on and it will tell the whole hall what house we're in. By the way, can I still use your owl?"  
 

   "Of course. Wait, the whole hall?" said Harry, looking horror struck. "Are you sure that's how we're sorted?"  
 

   "That's definitely the process", said a small boy with pale skin and sleek blond hair, who had just walked up to them. "Hi," he said with a drawl. "I'm Draco Malfoy." He held out his hand and Lilith, Harry, Ron and Emily all shook it. "I do hope this is over soon," Draco said, "I think we're all tired and hungry." There was a murmur of agreement, just as the hall door reopened. "We are ready," said Professor Aberforth, and let them in. With them also came a flood of what Lilith knew automatically were ghosts. The Great Hall was buzzing with conversation. When the first years, as directed, lined up in front of the staff table, Professor McGonagall brought out a small wooden stool, on top of which she laid an old, dusty hat with a rip near the bottom, and motioned to the hall for silence.  
   

 "QUIET!" came a shout from the podium right behind the stool. Everyone looked around at the podium. "Welcome, first years", said a man with brown hair and a raspy voice, dressed in purple night robes. "Let the sorting begin." Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.  
   

 "Thank you, Remus," she said in the same tone she'd used with Professor Aberforth. The rip near the bottom of the sorting hat opened wide, and it began to sing:  
               

                  "Welcome now to Hogwarts, School of witchcraft and wizardry,  
                    I'm about to sort you and let you know where you will be.  
                    There's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.  
                    Just put me on and you will know just which house you're perfect in.  
                   All the traits, you'll learn in time,  
                  For now, we'll just sort you, so let me look into your mind!"  
 

   There was applause around the hall, more polite than anything, Lilith noticed. Professor McGonigall cleared her throat again, and began to read names aloud, one by one, in alphabetical order by last name. Upon each name, the student it belonged to would walk up, sit on the stool, and try the hat on. On some students, it would take a while. On others, it happened immediately. The hat would appear to think, then the rip near the bottom would open and shout the student's house aloud. Slowly, but surely, the list thinned. Lilith felt lucky for her name to be near the top. "Copper, Lilith!" called Professor McGonigall. Lilith walked up to the stool, feeling like her legs were made of jelly. The hat dropped below her eyes when Professor McGonigall placed it on her head.  
   

 "Ah", the hat said gently into her head, causing her to jump even though it had spoken very softly. She hadn't expected it to speak at all until it had determined her house. "Very good. Interesting mind. You possess great qualities, yes. Hm...Let's see. Where shall I put you?"  
   

 "Anywhere", she thought, "Anywhere at all, I don't care! I'm hungry and tired..."  
     

The hat laughed softly. "I know, don't worry. Let's see, bravery, a clever mind, and an I'll show you kind of attitude...Ah! there we go...SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat to the entire hall, and a deafening applause arose throughout, as she made her way toward the table on the far side of the hall, with a large green and silver banner over it, a snake for a symbol. Name after name went by. Draco Malfoy got put in Gryffindor. Finally, they got to Harry, who was probably more nervous than he was letting on. The hat took a while with him, too. She could tell by looking at him that he, too, was having a conversation with it. Finally, the rip near the bottom opened wide, and the hat shouted,

     "SLYTHERIN!" Harry hopped off of the stool and ran over to the Slytherin table to sit next to Lilith. Before he sat, he hugged her, taking her by surprise. She returned the hug all the same, smiling and relieved to have a friend sorted into the same house.  
     The rest of the names were called. Ron and Emily both got sorted into Ravenclaw. The last name on the list, Zerecki, Adam, became a Hufflepuff. Finally, the sorting ended, and Headmaster Remus stepped up to the podium again.

     "Welcome", he said again, "Don't worry, I'm not going to talk very long. I know that all of you must be very hungry and very tired. Therefore, I shall give you the announcements before the feast. Firstly, the forbidden forest is out of bounds, because it is very, very dangerous. That should be enough for most of you to heed the warning. Also, Quidditch tryouts will be held sometime in early October. We will let everyone know as soon as they begin. For now, that is all. Please enjoy the feast." He sat back down to applause, and another buzz of conversation began. Harry and Lilith didn't talk much, only smiled at one another and ate plate after plate of food, which kept appearing in the many dishes in front of them.  
   

 After a while, the main course vanished from the table, to be replaced by desserts. These they indulged in as well, until they, too, finally disappeared, and the headmaster stood once again in front of the podium. "I hope you all feel full and satisfied", he said. One thing before we all go to bed. I've forgotten to announce my name for the first years. You can call me either Professor Remus, or Professor Lupin, whichever you prefer. Now, if my prefects will show the first years to their dormitories, everyone else, you know where you go. Everyone go get some sleep! You have a full day of learning ahead of you tomorrow!" As it happened, the Slytherin common room was only one flight of stairs down, into the dungeons. The prefect, who introduced himself as "Duncan", told them the password (Phoenix Tear), and led them inside before pointing them toward their dormitories and bidding them goodnight. Lilith and Harry both agreed that she could use Hedwig first thing tomorrow, as they were now both exhausted. As Lilith entered the girls' dormitory and changed into her night clothes--which had not only been sent up, along with the rest of her belongings,but also washed and folded neatly--she smiled. She'd never made three friends at the same time, especially right after something so traumatizing. Sighing with exhaustion, she flopped on top of her covers and fell asleep without another thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see a lot of people read the first chapter. I guess I can except the kudos I got as a thumbs up for more. However, I respectfully ask you to please comment if you'd like to see more. Also, as I've stressed, this is an alternate universe, so don't expect the characters to be the very same as the way Rowling wrote them.


	3. Grumpy Hag and Kind Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith and Harry experience their first day at Hogwarts

     When Lilith woke up, it was to a burst of morning sunlight that illuminated the whole dormitory. The window near her four poster bed was open, and Harry's owl was at the foot of her bed, sitting on top of her chest of belongings and, apparently, waiting for her to wake up. The moment Lilith looked at her, the owl hopped onto the bed, a slip of parchment in her beak.

"Thanks, Hedwig", she said, stroking the owl's head. She took the slip of parchment and saw that it was blank, then looked at the clock above the window. It was only six, She might have time to get dressed and write a letter now, before heading down to breakfast.  

    "That owl was sent up by that boy you shared a boat with", said a mous-y voice from somewhere to her left. Lilith looked up to see a very skinny girl with brown hair and thin glasses. "He said he'll wait for you to come down after you write your letter so you can both go down to breakfast together. I'm Margret, by the way", she finished, holding out a very small hand. Lilith shook it.    

  "I'm Lilith. Nice to meet you."    

  "Yeah." Margret stood there a bit longer, seemed to teeter on the verge of speech for a moment, then she nodded jerkily, turned, and walked out of the dormitory, slinging her school bag over one shoulder as she went."    

  "Bit awkward", thought Lilith as she began to dress. After making sure she had her wand, her schedule, and her books packed safely in her bag, she dipped her quill in her ink bottle, screwed the lid back on, placed the parchment flat on her chest of belongings, and scribbled a letter to her dad.

    Dear Dad,  
  I arrived at Hogwarts Castle safe and sound. I'm already getting along with three people, and the poor boy who let me borrow his owl is one of them. His name is Harry, and the owl's name is Hedwig. Isn't she pretty? Please tell me when you get this letter. I miss you already    ---Love, Lilith.  
 P.S. Poor Harry is treated horribly at home. I hate to think what might happen  
 To him over the summer or the holidays!

      Not bothering to proof read her letter for fear she might be late to start her first day at school, she folded it neatly, put it in Hedwig's beak, said "Thank you, Hedwig. See you later", and watched her take off through the open window. Then, placing her quill and ink into her bag, she flung open the dormitory door and took very little time making her way into the common room, where she found Harry waiting for her.

      "Thanks", she said, "I already feel much better, having let my dad know I'm here safe."

      "Don't mention it. But we'd better get a move on, if we don't want to miss breakfast." They talked to one another all the way to the Great Hall, about how well they'd slept ("If it hadn't been for the sunlight, I probably would never have woken up!", exclaimed Lilith) and how awkward Margret had seemed. Lilith also thanked Harry again for letting her use Hedwig, and let him know that she had told her father how awful he was treated at home.

      "I hope that's alright."    

  "It should be, so long as you don't tell everyone you come into contact with."    

"Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't do that to anyone. I mean, I do like to talk, but I don't walk around spewing other people's business."

      "That's actually good to know. I'm sort of the same way", said Harry as they approached the Great Hall. As they sat down to bacon, eggs, toast and coffee, they were just in time for the morning post. What must have been hundreds of different owls soared into the Hall above their heads, dropping mail in front of their owners. As they had just sent Hedwig out, neither Lilith or Harry was expecting any mail, and were both a bit surprised when a small parchment envelope landed in Harry's lap. The owl that delivered it was a Great Grey, and it gave Harry an affectionate nip on his index finger, at which point Harry smiled, stroked its head, and said, "Hello, James. My Uncle Sirius has written to me", he explained to Lilith.

   "Oh, so you have got at least one adult family member that cares then? Sorry, I'm so rude."  

    "Oh,, you were just curious. Yes, Uncle Sirius does care. Also, he's not really my uncle. He's my godfather. He's wanted to ask me to come live with him so many times, but that stupid wizarding law..."    

  "Says he can't until you're thirteen and capable of making the decision to tell him yes, I know. Sorry", she said again, "I need to work on not interrupting others."    

  "Don't worry about it. I do that too, whenever I actually meet someone I'm comfortable talking to. Which is, erm...really rare." Blushing, Harry opened his letter and began to read aloud.

           Dear Harry, congratulations on making it into Slytherin! Not that it  really matters, of course. See, I do know the headmaster. Didn't  believe me did you? That's who told me. Anyway, write me  tomorrow, and tell me about your first day! All is well at Grimauld  Place. I hope you can visit me for the holidays. Anyhow, take care, and learn a lot! --love, Sirius. PS. Only two more years before I can ask you to move in with me permanently. Hang in there til then,  and keep writing me!

   "He seems very sweet", sail Lilith when Harry had folded the letter, placed it in his bag, and removed his schedule.

  "He is", Harry responded. "Why do you think I'm so eager to move in with him? He's told me loads of good stories about my parents. Oh, look! We've got both Dumbledore teachers today. One this morning and one this afternoon."    

  Lilith took out her own schedule. Sure enough, they had transfiguration with Professor Albus at eleven o'clock, and potions with Professor Aberforth at one. "Ooh, helpful", thought Lilith, "the teachers' names are on there as well." Just then, they heard the bell ring, and both Harry and Lilith took off for their first class, Defense Agaisnt the Dark Arts with Professor Severus Snape. They nearly got lost on the way to Professor Snape's class. Luckily, they met him on the way. He was a tall, slightly hunched man, with very greasy hair and a hooked nose.    

  "And where are you two headed?" He asked them in a voice that sounded surprisingly neutral,much like the expression on his face.  

    "Defense Against the Dark Arts", they both replied.    

  "Well then, i do believe you're in luck. I happen to be Professor Snape. This way", he told them, still in his very neutral tone. "In case you wondered", he continued as he led them, "You will be sharing Defense class with Ravenclaw house today. Usually, those little details would be on your schedule, but as the headmaster forgot to write it down, they should be on next week's schedule instead. Here we are." They had arrived at the classroom door. The Ravenclaws and the rest of Slytherin were already here, waiting for the door to be unlocked. Ron and Emily waved at Lilith and Harry, and they waved back, beaming.

The moment Professor Snape opened the door, both houses filed in. Harry, Lilith, Ron, and Emily took care to find seats together, and were joined at their table by a girl with bushy brown hair, who introduced herself as Hermione Granger. Their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class was mostly listening and taking notes as Professor Snape told them about the kinds of things they would be learning in his class. He mentioned a few dangerous creatures, and informed them of a few offensive spells, which he would later be teaching along with counters. When the bell rang for their next class (History of Magic With Professor McGonigall for Lilith and Harry, Potions with Professor Aberforth for Ron and Emily), they quickly stuffed their parchment and quills in their school bags and headed to their next lesson. They found their way fairly easily this time, as Professor Snape had taken the liberty to hand them all maps of the castle. Waving "See you later" to Ron, Emily, and Hermione Granger, who they had now invited into their circle of friends (since she needed friends and was not yet ready to elaborate further), Lilith and Harry set off for McGonigall's class.

The door was open when they got there. The fact that Draco Mahfoy was sitting at a table in a far corner in the back of the room told Lilith they were sharing this one with Gryffindor house. Professor McGonigall, standing at the front of the room, seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face, which looked very out of place, as she was wearing the same sparkly scarlet robe she had worn last night. Anybody in that getup, in Lilith's opinion, ought to be smiling.  

    "Sit!" Snapped McGonigall, and the whole class sat and fell silent at once. "Now," she snapped, "I was told that Professor Snape forgot his roll call, but I assure you , this is the first thing on my list." She then consulted a piece of parchment on her desk and began to call names. When every student on the list had declared themselves present, she simply scowled for another moment. Then, "Take out you parchment and quills', she said, "I expect each and every one of you to pay attention. As I am not one to repeat myself, you are to listen carefully and take notes." Immediately, she began to talk, reciting certain dates and basic names and important events in magical history, while the students took notes. One good thing about this woman, thought Lilith, was that she was at least being very clear about what she wanted, however rude she may be.      

     Toward the end of the lesson, she finally instructed them to put away their parchment and quills. "Unfortunately", she snapped, "the headmaster forbids homework for a first years first day, but rest assured, you can expect some the next time you step into my classroom."

The bell rang just as Draco said, "Grumpy old hag", and it was a good thing, too, thought Lilith, because this woman looked like she might hex you if you so much as coughed out of turn. Their next class was transfiguration, with Professor Albus, who turned out to be a lot kinder that McGonigall, and even kinder than Professor Aberforth, if that was possible.

"Welcome", he said to them, much like his brother, only with a slightly deeper voice. "My name is Professor Albus. As my brother kindly told you, I will be your transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts." Like McGonigall, he began his class with roll call. Also, like McGonigall, he asked them to take notes (although not as many, but still very informative). As a matter of fact, he was the complete opposite of her altogether. He payed attention to their questions, and was more than willing to repeat himself. Toward the end of the lesson he even entertained them by turning his robes from pink, to white, to yellow, back to pink. Lilith even thought she saw him give a small wink before making his desk scuttle toward the classroom door and back.

When the bell rang for lunch, the students (Slytherin and Ravenclaw again), filed out, Lilith and Harry much happier indeed than when they had come out of History of Magic. Lunch was scarfed down by Harry. Lilith took a bit more time with hers, while trying to assure Harry that his food wasn't going anywhere. Looking slightly embarrassed, Harry grinned and slowed down. Now fed, watered, and eager to see what potions held in store for them, they left lunch a bit early so they could take their time finding Professor Aberforth's classroom. They shared a class with Hufflepuff this time and were joined at their table by a scrawny grump of a boy who simply said, "Don't talk to me", and a dark skinned, heavily build girl who introduced herself as Kitty. Professor Aberforth did things very similarly to Professor Albus, albeit quite a bit calmer, with less entertainment, although he did let them request a few potions for him to make for them, within reason (no love potions, no truth telling serums, no poison). Lilith skimmed through her potions book and pointed out a little brew that varied in color, but often took a light shade of magenta. It was called "Anxietatem Cessabit", otherwise known as a calming potion. Professor Aberforth looked at her with a bit of concern in his eyes, but told her,  
     

"Good choice", with a small smile. Harry didn't really feel like searching for one,and Professor Aberforth was fine with that. Like most of the other teachers so far, he asked them to take notes through most of the class. Just before the bell rang to cue the end of the school day, he told them that the requested potions would be ready by the time they had their next lesson with him. The moment the bell rang, they all got up and slung their bags over their shoulders, excited to end their first day at Hogwarts by either hanging in their common rooms, sending owls home, or else just going out for a bit of a walk. Professor  Aberforth asked Lilith to stay behind for a moment.  
   

  "I'll wait at the door for you", Harry told her, and walked out of the room. When the other students had cleared the classroom, Professor Aberforth smiled kindly at Lilith and asked,  
 

    "Has something been troubling you, Miss Copper?"  
   

  "Oh! I, erm..."  
 

    "Please forgive me. I don't wish to intrude on a student's life. I was simply curious as to why you chose the calming potion."  
   

  "It's alright, Professor. You just caught me off guard, is all. The reason I asked you for that anxiety potion is because my father and i have been grieving from Mum's death for the past three months."  
   

  "Oh dear. You need not say another word. You are well, otherwise?"  
   

  "Yes, sir."  
   

  "Do you wish to discuss anything else with me currently?"

   "No, sir."  
   

  "Very well. I am very sorry for your loss. Do let me know if there is anything I can do. You may go."

Grateful for the dismissal, Lilith turned and walked out of the classroom, then followed Harry down to their common room, where they both sat reading the notes they had taken today. Judging by Harry's looks of comfort and occasional small smiles, Lilith got the feeling that she wasn't the only currently pensive first year sitting in the Slytherin common room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Like or comment if you want more.


	4. Mystery of Margret

      Hedwig arrived at dinner that very same evening,along with only a few other owls, as evening post was apparently not as popular as the morning bout of mail. The good thing about this, agreed Lilith and Harry, was that she was very easy to spot, among all the brown and grey, and occasional black. Harry was focusing on his pot pie when she flew in, so he allowed Lilith to take the letter from her leg and feed her a few spoonfuls of her own pot pie. Harry stroked Hedwig's head for a moment as Lilith unfolded the letter and began to read aloud:

       "Dear Lilith,  
       I'm glad you made it safely to Hogwarts, and  
      even happier that you've already made a few friends. Still,  
      you know how I feel about you, and I urge you not to  
      befriend people just for being nice to you. Not  
      telling you there's anything wrong about the friends you've  
      made, as I don't know them. Just be careful.  
     All is well at home for now. And I'm very disheartened  
     to read about your friend Harry. Tell him, if you wish,  
     that he is welcome to visit us for Christmas, if he likes.  
    The other two are welcome as well. I should very much  
    love to meet the people you took a liking to so quickly.  
    Anyway, please keep writing and I'll write you back as  
    often as possible! Have fun, and learn a lot!  
    ---Love, Dad

      "Very nice of him to invite me to Christmas", said Harry as Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately before heading off to the owlery. "Would you actually...?" he added nervously.  
Lilith gave Harry a look of mock anger.

      "Of course not! Why would I ever invite somebody who might be homeless if he were't staying with his terrible aunt and uncle? Of course I'll invite you", she said, dropping her sarcasm. You, Ron, Emily, and possible that Her...erm...the Gringer girl."

      "Granger", said a voice from behind them, "and my first name is Hermione." Turning, Lilith and Harry saw her standing behind them, smiling and obviously not offended, which relieved them immensely. "And I would accept your invitation, only Christmas is three months away, and I'm not quite sure what my mum and dad would think of it. And," she added pointedly, pushing bushy brown hair out of her equally brown eyes, "Your father hasn't invited me."  
   

 "Point taken", said Lilith, a bit taken aback.  
   

 "Sorry", said Hermione, a kind of embarrassed smile forming on her face, showing her rather large front teeth, "I'm not offended or anything, and I hope I haven't offended either of you."  
 

   "Of course not", said Lilith, and she meant it. "If you want to offend me, you've got to try really hard. Trust me." At these last two words, her voice shook a bit. She cleared her throat and settled for smiling politely.  
 

  "Really hard to offend me as well", said Harry. "Well, I'm hit at home, and being used to that, you sort of expect insults alongside it." Here, he fell silent, looked nervous, and bowed his head. Hermione had given him a look of pure shock and horror.  
   

"That's bloody awful!" she exclaimed, laying a hand softly on his shoulder.  
 

  "Sorry, didn't really mean to bring it up."  
 

  "You've got every right to talk about it", said Hermione softly, offering a hug. He accepted, and almost immediately began to feel better, now he had four different people he could turn to for support. After dinner, Lilith and Harry decided to go back to their common room, as they wanted to relax and prepare for tomorrow's classes, which were going to be all different than today's, according to their schedules. They sat in armchairs, reading their notes for a while. Finally, they put them down and simply began to talk to one another, and socialize with a few other Slytherins who looked like they weren't all that busy. They looked around for Margret, the mouse-y voiced girl from this morning who had brought up Hedwig to Lilith, but they didn't see her, so they decided they would talk to her later. Instead, they simply talked o each other most of the night, Lilith talking about her life at home, which sounded pretty nice to Harry, as her father read to her a lot and was a decent cook and liked to take her to parks and the cinema. Harry talked about his cousin, Dudley, and how they would often sneak out of the house at night or when Vernon and Petunia were bound to be out for a while. They wouldn't do much, just hang out in a nearby park or go over to their neighbor, Mrs. Figg, who was a very kind lady with six or seven cats. According to Harry, she neither knew or suspected the violence in the Dursley house, and for now, Dudley and Harry preferred to keep it that way, because they didn't want any further anger from Vernon and Petunia than there already was, due to their simple existence.     

      Night fell, and they got tired and decided to go to bed, so they could prepare for tomorrow. Lilith decided to look around again for Margret, but saw her nowhere in the common room, nor in the girls' dormitory. A bit concerned, she looked at all the four poster beds, observing the occupants, none of whom had gone to sleep just yet. The strange thing was, all the beds were occupied, but Margret wasn't in any of them. Confuse and curious, Lilith asked, "Has anyone seen Margret?" The other girls turned to her to acknowledge her question. A few shook their heads and shrugged. One girl said,  
 

   "Who?'  
 

  "Margret. You know, the squeaky voice and brown hair. Glasses?  
 

  "I don't know anyone fitting that description. Did you meet her in the Great Hall, or in the corridors?"  
 

  "No. She was here, in this room. She shook my hand. Harry sent up an owl that she brought to me."  
 

  "Harry?"  
 

  "Yes, he's the skinny boy with the big glasses. The one I've been hanging around with."  
   

"Oh! Yes, I've seen him. But this Margret girl, I have no idea. Maybe she was visiting from another house? '  
 

  "Yeah, maybe." Pulling on her pajamas and getting in the bed, Lilith realized that she hadn't seen Margret in any of their classes today, with the Slytherins or any other house. She hadn't really been searching though, so there was a possibility that she simply did't spot her. "There's got to be a simple explanation", she thought, "I'll ask Harry to help me try and figure it out tomorrow." With that, she drifted off to sleep, not realizing that this strange coincidence, this mystery of Margret, would become the first of many strange occurrences during her time at Hogwarts, and possibly longer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it's coming along nicely! Reminder, this is an alternate universe. A few things will be different. Please kudos and comment if you want more!


	5. A Short Day and A Frightful Encounter

Their first class next morning was Charms, which, Lilith noticed, wasn't going to be so different from Transfiguration, except their teacher, Professor Corbin Tittle, was a bit nicer than Mcgonnigall (as were most other teachers so far). In between taking notes, Lilith and Harry discussed Margret, whom they hadn't seen at breakfast, nor did they see her in this classroom, either with their house, or with the Ravenclaws. Ron and Emily had become very interested over breakfast, when they had visited the Slytherin table to bid good morning to Harry and Lilith, who had automatically confided the mystery to them. Now, however, the twins sat on the other side of the room from them, since most seats had been filled when they'd entered Professor Tittle's classroom. So Lilith and Harry had chosen two seats near the back, so they could discuss the matter in hushed whispers while Professor Tittle sat a frog on his desk and, much to the student's amazement, inflated it to the size of a large balloon and back again.

"Obviously, she's got to be somewhere", whispered Harry to Lilith, among all the "aaah"s issuing from around the room.

"This will not be your first lesson, unfortunately," said Professor Tittle from the front of the room, picking up a small box from a corner of his desk. He opened the box and asked the students to divide into pairs. Harry and Lilith, of course, stayed where they were. Ron and Emily managed to pair up and move closer to Lilith and Harry, finding seats directly in front of them. When they had settled into pairs, Professor Tittle began to take feathers out of the open box and hand them out, telling them, as he did so, that they were about to take it in turns to try and make the feathers levitate. There were a few intrigued murmurs around the room. Emily took this opportunity to turn to Lilith and say,

"So, about this Margret girl. Do you think she might be in another house?"

Lilith took a few moments to answer, because Professor Tittle was currently passing their row, running a small towel over his shiny bald head and placing a feather in front of Ron and Emily.

"Possibly", said Harry once Professor Tittle had passed, "But the problem is, we haven't seen her at all, in classes, in the halls, or otherwise."

"Huh", said Ron, even more interested now, his face contorting with thought. "Maybe she's been sick for a few days or something."

"Can't have been", Lilith whispered, "She seemed well when she brought me Hedwig. It's possible she could have gotten sick afterwards, but that doesn't explain why we didn't see her for the rest of the day."

They fell silent again as Professor Tittle passed by, this time placing a feather in front of Harry and Lilith.

"Speaking of Hedwig, though", said Emily, sounding curious, "I know you said you don't have a lot of money. Not being nosy, but how expensive was that owl?"

"Oh, I didn't buy her. My Uncle Sirius got her for my birthday. He's actually my godfather. Stupid wizard law. I'd already live with him if it wasn't for that."

'Now", said Professor Tittle from the front of the room, making them jump slightly, "I want you to take out your wands."

There was a minor scuffling as the class all reached for their wands, some unzipping their bags, others standing to reach into their pockets.

"Now", he said again, retrieving his own wand from his pocket and pointing it at a feather on his desk, "The movement I'm going to show you is very simple, and has a lot to do with the wrist. It's a graceful swish" he demonstrated the movement with his wand, "and a simple flick" again, he demonstrated. "Please practice this movement for a few minutes. I must leave the room for a moment. I will teach you the incantation when I return."

He stepped out of the room, and automatically the students began to simultaneously practice the movement Professor Tittle had just showed them and talk among themselves. Lilith, Harry, Emily, and Ron decided to drop the conversation about Margret for a while ("After all, we can just ask her about it when we see her next", said Harry.) Instead, Lilith brought up the subject of her father, and how glad he was that she'd already made friends, and about his inviting them for Christmas.

"Your father sounds like a decent individual", said Emily, "I think I'll write Mum and ask her about that."

"Yeah", Ron added thoughtfully, "maybe Lilith's dad won't mind Mum coming either. Dunno if she'd want to though. So yeah, we should probably ask."

Professor Tittle walked back in at that moment, mopping his bald head again and smiling, showing his large white teeth and dark pink gums. "So sorry," he said brightly, "I'm sure you'll all forgive me a run to the loo. And you needn't cease talking," he added, sounding slightly offended, "I saw that most of you were practicing the movement, anyhow. Now", he said for the third time, "The incantation is a bit more difficult, but easy enough when you're used to saying it." Here, he pointed his wand at the feather on his desk again. "Listen very carefully, as you need to enunciate clearly, so disasters are less likely to happen." There were a few laughs around the room, but he seemingly ignored them. Demonstrating the wrist movement again, he pointed his want at his feather and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather rose from the desk and fluttered in midair, following every motion of the teacher's wand. The students practiced until the bell rang for the next class. For the Slytherins, this meant Herbology with Professor Fulie Knowlson. For the Ravenclaws, it was History of Magic with Professor McGonigall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry", said Lilith.

"Why?" Asked Emily, a confused and curious look and her face.

"Professor Mcgonnigall for an hour and a half?"

"Oh yeah, that woman. What's with her anyway?" Said Ron. "She's so snippy." Wishing Ron and Emily luck and consulting the maps Professor Snape had given them, Harry and Lilith headed toward the front doors of the castle to head to a row of greenhouses on the grounds.

"Ugh", said Lilith as they stepped onto the grass, "It's been raining." As they squelched toward the greenhouses, lifting their robes to prevent getting mud on them, they slipped, once more, into the subject of Margret. However, Margret was wiped fresh from their minds as they approached the greenhouses. Waiting for them, smiling and waving so the Slytherins and Gryffindors would know where to go, was a very tall woman dressed in magnificent robes, made from many different shades of blue, black and white. The woman's skin was dark and shiny. There was a collective "OOooh" from about half the students, and a few "Very nice robes, Professor" comments.

'Hello, and welcome to my class, first years", she said in a rich, clear and soothing voice. "I am happy to see that you like my robes. Please, follow me a few awnings down to that first greenhouse on the other end."

The students did as they were told, again being very careful not to get mud on their robes. Professor Knowlson, Lilith noticed, seemed to have no trouble at all in this regard, as her robes simply rose and billowed gracefully as she moved. When they reached the desired greenhouse, Professor Knowlson led them inside. It was surprisingly warm, and there was a simultaneous sigh of relief from the class.

"Glad to know my warming charms worked", said a raspy voice from behind a rather large, scaly plant. "Fulie", continued the headmaster, emerging from behind it, "I have also put certain charms around the. Plants that require cold or room temperature. I am not familiar with any of the plants in greenhouse four, I'm afraid."

"it is quite alright. Thank you so much, Remus." She gave the headmaster a hug, and he  returned it before bowing at the students and leaving Professor Knowlson to teach. Lilith thought he might have winked in her direction before walking out. Professor Knowlson was very kind. She started class, like most other teachers, by doing roll call. Afterward, she told them a little about herself. "I am generally easy to get along with. I love most anything to do with nature, in and out of the magical world. I love to read,and it is very hard to upset me, although I would not recommend that you try. Now that you know a bit about me, let us begin our first lesson, shall we?"

She summoned a couple of very large buckets filled with fresh soil from over by the greenhouse door, along with a stack of folded aprons and gardening gloves. They were instructed to put the aprons on over their robes and pull on a pair of gloves each. They did as they were told, as Professor Knowlson placed several smaller plant pots in a row on two separate tables, and began to show them how to fill these specific pots with fresh dirt.

"You'll want to fill them just over halfway, because the plants I'll be putting in them won't require much more dirt. Also, be sure to smooth it out before moving on to another pot. Oh, one more thing. Watch out for the venomous tentacula, because it will try to grab you if it gets hungry. You may talk among yourselves as you pot the soil."

Talk they did, but instead of dwelling about Margret, Lilith and Harry talked about how nice Professor Knowlson's robes were, and how relieved they were that Headmaster Lupin had made it warm in the greenhouse. The students were a bit reluctant when the loud bell sounded from the castle, signaling them for their next class (Astronomy with Professor Oliver Crock for Slytherin, Defense Against the Dark Arts for Gryffindor). Taking off their aprons and gloves and handing them to Professor Knowlson to put away, Harry and Lilith took a look at their schedules and saw that, after Astronomy, it was time for lunch, then they were free for the rest of the day. This, as they learned from Draco, was only for the first years, to give them time to study and prepare for longer school days.

"I learned it from my father", he said, looking a bit irritated and embarrassed, "He's always harping on about how much he's told about the goings on at Hogwarts. Very annoying, actually." Most of Astronomy class, like most classes from yesterday, was spent taking notes. On the stars, the planets and their positions, and what some of it meant. When they finished taking notes, Professor Crock, an old, grey, sort of grumpy old man, gave them telescopes to take to their common rooms, and told them to wait until it got dark out, then gave them written instructions on what he wanted them to do. After lunch, Harry and Lilith decided to take their time heading back to the Slytherin common room. They walked slowly, taking in the scenery of the inside of the castle: the marble walls and floor, the moving, talking portraits, the statues and suits of armor positioned in a few of the corridors. They were nearly to their common room when they heard it. A low, angry growl, followed by what sounded like somebody sobbing.

They exchanged looks, confirming that they had both heard it. They heard the growl and the sobbing again. Concerned and a bit scared, they turned their heads, searching for the source of the disturbing sounds. Looking toward a nearby corner, they heard a whoosh, and saw a bright, white light fill the corridor for a brief moment. The sobbing grew louder. Lilith and Harry cautiously approached the corner and peaked around it, trying to see who was crying. And then they saw her. Margret was standing just around the corner, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at them when they looked around the corner,and immediately, she stopped crying. 

"Hello", she said in a voice that was not at all the one she'd had when Lilith had first seen her. This voice was a lot lower, and something about it made their hair stand on end. Margret grinned, a grin that sent shivers down Lilith's spine. Harry was beginning to breathe very heavily in her ear again, this time out of understandable fear, rather than cold. Also, something about Margret looked different. Somehow, she looked less...geeky.

"It's rude to pry", she said, her voice growing even deeper. "Also", she added, her grin turning into a scowl, "It's not nice to STARE!" With the last word, Margret's voice got so deep, and her face acquired such a horrifying grin, Lilith and Harry began to hyperventilate in fear, still unable to turn and run into the common room right behind them. Margret began to walk toward them, now grinning so widely that every tooth was showing, and drool was dribbling from her mouth, turning black... Finally, Lilith and Harry found their feet. Turning on the spot, they both shouted,

"PHOENIX TEAR!", toppled over one another into the common room, and slammed the door, through which they now heard maniacal laughter that seemed to be fading, as though Margret was walking away.

"What", panted Harry, still violently hyperventilating, "the BLOODY HELL was that!?"

"Well", panted Lilith, "So much for asking her where she's been."


	6. Draco's Encounter

Lilith and Harry were late for dinner that night, as they had made their way to the Great Hall very cautiously, peeking around every corner and hardly daring to speak. Ron, Emily, and Hermione Granger greeted them with enthusiasm. Ron looked extremely concerned at the looks on their pale faces, loaded two plates with steak-and-kidney pie, and handed one each to Lilith and Harry, while asking why they looked like they’d just witnessed a murder. It was Harry who responded, voice straining, struggling to get a boiled potato on the end of his fork.

“We... f-found Margret.”

“Okay”, said Hermione slowly, wondering where this was going.

Together, Lilith and Harry recounted the terrifying encounter they’d experienced mere hours ago, with as many details as they could remember. Ron, Emily, and Hermione listened intently, trying to make some sort of sense of it. However, no matter how hard they tried, no sense could be made of it. The other three were equally as confused as Lilith and Harry about Margret’s appearance being so different than the first time around. In the end, they simply chalked it up to only having seen her one time beforehand, although Lilith didn’t really believe this theory herself. For one, she specifically recalled Margret having rather large front teeth and smooth brown hair, and this time round, her hair had been black, her teeth intact and straight. The missing glasses could simply be a case of having forgotten to grab them.

But what about her voice? It had been so high and squeaky the first time, yet this time, she’d had a very deep, disturbing voice. Lilith decided to let it go for now, as she became more disturbed the longer she dwelled on it. Instead, they talked a bit about their backgrounds. All of them had come from magical families, although Hermione had cut it pretty close to being muggle born. Her mum was a witch, her father a muggle. Her family, it turned out, had a good mix of magical and non-magical blood and, fortunately, they all got along. At least, that was the way she told it. Lilith had the feeling she was trying her best not to mention something. Judging by the glances she shared with Harry, he had caught the same vibe.

Ron and Emily had come from a very long line of magical blood, and couldn't think of any muggles in their family tree. However, Emily mentioned that an uncle of theirs was a squib, which, she explained, was simply the opposite of muggle born. Born from magical blood, but with no trace of magic in you whatsoever. Harry, of course, had a similar background to Hermione, only the muggles in his family saw him as some sort of demon, rather than a human being. He talked again about Uncle Sirius, and how he couldn’t wait ‘til he was thirteen, so he could move out of Hell and into his godfather’s place. Then they talked about tomorrow’s subjects, which would be a mix of today’s, and some of yesterday’s (Lilith groaned loudly when Harry mentioned that they would be having double History of Magic).

As they finished dinner, Harry and Lilith agreed for Ron, Emily, and Hermione to come along and visit the Slytherin common room, as they really hadn’t gotten to know anyone else in their own house just yet, and they could use the company (partially due to fear of running into Margret again). They agreed, and Lilith felt much safer with three extra people tagging along, although she wasn’t really sure what good it might be if Margret was some all powerful demon, or anything of the like. Plus, Ron elaborated when she brought it up, they were all first years, and therefore didn’t know any effective magic just yet. When they reached the Slytherin common room, the five of them settled on two couches near the back, placed mere inches apart underneath a long, black shelf that held a rather extensive assortment of objects, from complimentary books, a large, shiny, green and silver empty vase, and a stack or two of magazines and a newspaper called “The Daily Prophet”.

Lilith and Harry positioned themselves on either side of Hermione on one of them. Ron and Emily sat side by side on the other. “This is sort of different than the Ravenclaw common room”, Emily commented, looking around the walls.

“I would imagine so”, said Lilith, “there’s a lot of green and silver in here, for one. I take it there’s a lot of blue in yours?”

“Well, not really”, said Hemione, “but there are a few more shelves, and a lot of shiny things, and we’ve got our own library.”

“No way!”, exclaimed Lilith and Harry together. “I’m jealous”, continued Lilith. “I love to read. I know Hogwarts has a library, but what if I’d like to search for a certain book, and Hogwarts Library has closed for the night?”

“You’re more than welcome to check a few from ours”, said Emily, “but I think ours is a lot smaller, and only covers certain subjects.”

“That’s actually really interesting in itself”, said Harry, “Perhaps there’s some relevance to that. Obviously, we don’t have our own library in this common room. I don’t know about Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.”

They went on like this for a bit, simply talking, getting to know a bit more about one another, and talking about the differences in one another’s common rooms. Around seven thirty, Lilith got a bit restless, and asked if anybody knew when the library closed. “The Hogwarts Library closes around ten at night, I think. Midnight on Saturdays”, said Emily. “The Ravenclaw library is always open.”

“I think I’d like to got check out the Hogwarts Library. Would, um… would any of you like to come with me?”

“Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad”, Harry said thoughtfully. “I wouldn't mind at least seeing the library, personally.” The other three agreed, seemingly sharing Harry’s opinion. So, consulting their maps of Hogwarts and making sure they had their wands in their pockets, they set off. There were still quite a few people out and about, although most of them were either teachers, or students between fifth and seventh year. They passed Professor Snape, who nodded at them, wearing his seemingly permanent neutral expression. They also passed Professor Albus, who smiled widely and asked where they were headed, then applauded them verbally for being so eager to learn,and went on his way. They reached the large, heavy library doors in a matter of minutes. Ron pulled one open, and the five of them stepped inside. Lilith let out a very audible gasp (“SSHH!!” said the librarian, Madam Pince, holding a thin finger to her lips).

The library was huge, with hundreds of rows of books upon books, the shelves reaching all the way to the high ceiling. So many subjects waved for their attention, more subjects than any muggle library Lilith had ever heard of, including books on muggle subjects, along with those regarding the magical world. They stood browsing for a while, and eventually they all decided to check out a few books for their spare time. Lilith checked out a book of wizarding fairy tales called “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”. She’d heard a few of these from her mother over the years, and figured this would make her proud. After they had all chosen at least one book (Hermione checked out two, explaining that she was a very fast reader), they all decided to head back to their own common rooms, so they could relax and prepare for tomorrow. Lilith and Harry were much less worked up now, as they had had no encounter with Margret since this afternoon. They exited the library and said “Goodnight.” Ron, Emily, and Hermione headed right toward the upper staircase, Lilith and Harry left, toward the dungeons.

They weren’t even halfway to the common room when they ran into Draco Malfoy, who was looking even paler than usual. He tried to talk to them, but he was so frightened, all that came out was gibberish. “Draco, slow down”, said Harry, looking very concerned but trying to sound soothing. “What is it?” Draco managed to take a few deep breaths, and was finally able to speak.

“I-I think I found Margret.”

Shocked and horrified, Lilith and Harry supported a very shaken Draco to their own common room, sat him on one of the couches, and got him a glass of water. After a few minutes, Harry asked, “How d’you know about…”

“I’ve overheard you talking about her. I didn’t feel like jumping in the conversation, but now I’ve run into her.”

“Which form did she take?” asked Lilith gently. “The really geeky form, or the creepy one?”

“Both. I was headed to my common room after sending a letter from the owelry, and I ran into a shy looking girl with brown hair and glasses. I said hi, and she just...ran away. Then, as i was almost to my common room, I met her again, and she was really scary. And she looked quite different. She started toward me, and I ran. The first people I thought of were you two. Somehow I just knew you were who I wanted to talk to.”

Lilith now sat beside Draco, weak kneed and in shock. “We’ve got to tell someone about this immediately. But who?” Draco thought for a moment.

“Headmaster Lupin”, he said finally. “I think this is a case for him.”

“Come on”, said Harry. “We’ve got to go right now.”

The three of them scrambled out of the common room and began to run toward the stairs. They were halfway up when they realized they didn’t have a clue where the headmaster’s office would be. They pulled their maps out of their pockets, but were frustrated to see that they couldn’t find the headmaster’s office located anywhere on them. “Dammit!" Shouted Harry. "We’ll just have to roam the castle ‘til we find it.”

“Find what?” came a sharp voice from behind them. “What is all the shouting about?” The three students turned to see Professor McGonigall standing there, her harsh expression extra prominent. Desperate, the three of them began trying to explain that they needed to see the headmaster immediately, that there was someone, or something, in the castle that shouldn’t be. “What utter rubbish!” she snapped. "Fifty points from Gryffindor AND Slytherin! The headmaster has no time for whatever cock and bull you have rehearsed to tell him at this hour!”

“But, Professor…”

“No! I won’t hear any more of it! Off to bed, the lot of you!”

“Professor, we’re not…”

“One more word out of you three!”

“Minerva”, came a soft voice from around the corner, “That’s enough.” Headmaster Lupin now rounded the corner, wearing robes of bright blue and glistening silver, his brown eyes holding an expression of curiosity and concern. “You three”, he continued, “if you wish to bring something to my attention, you may follow me to my office now, if you deem it important enough to rush through the halls to try and find me.”

Relieved, Lilith, Harry, and Draco followed Headmaster Lupin to his office, leaving behind a very irate looking Professor McGonigall.


	7. Lilith's Dream

“So sorry about that “, the headmaster told them as he led them up flight after flight of steps, through corridor after corridor. “But I just can't seem to find anyone else who is willing to teach History of Magic, or even as educated as she is on the subject. Anyhow I don't suspect you three would be so desperate to see me if it weren't important. Especially you, Harry. We haven't really met, but I know your godfather, and by extension knew your parents.”

Lilith, Draco, and Harry couldn't find any words, and were trying to save their breath for when they could actually catch it, so they simply walked along behind the headmaster, giving one another sideways glances. Finally, they stopped in front of a large stone lion, which opened its mouth and let out a low growl, which Lilith realized, after initial shock, to be speech.

“Password?” The stone lion asked in a deep, gravelly voice.

“Vampire Breath.” The lion turned and leapt aside, revealing a purple and crimson carpeted staircase that appeared to be revolving upwards between the stone walls on either side. Lilith, along with taking in the beauty of these magnificent steps, also felt relieved that they were moving, because she was tired of walking at this point. The staircase rose for about a minute, then stopped, at a very large oak door with a brass knocker shaped like a badgers head. Professor Lupin had obviously left it unlocked, because he now opened it and gestured them inside. He then used his wand to conjure three small wooden chairs in front of his desk, gestured for them to sit, and, grunting, sat himself, in a large brown armchair behind the desk. There was silence for a minute, while he poured four cups of water.

Lilith looked around as she drank. Quite a few portraits lined the walls of the office. They were all of people, men and women, some sleeping, some simply looking around politely, others in the middle of small tasks. One very old lady sat in a rocking chair, knitting what looked like a very thick woolly blanket. “These are all the previous headmasters and headmistresses of the school”, said Professor Lupin simply, smiling at her curiosity. His desk held various objects, such as small telescopes like the ones Professor Crock had given them, and a few objects that looked way too important to try and touch. There was also a stack of papers that the headmaster seemed to be halfway sorted through. In the far left corner of the room stood a tall podium, on top of which sat an extremely thick book that was currently closed.

“So”, said Headmaster Lupin after they had all hydrated and were breathing more naturally, “Tell me what happened. One at a time, please.”

Trying their best not to interrupt one another, Lilith, Harry and Draco managed to tell him about the strange girl, by the name of Margret, who kept appearing when they least expected her, and about both her normal and her more terrifying form, and made sure to tell him that nobody else seemed to know her. He listened intently, great interest showing clearly in his slightly lined face. When they had finished, he stood, stretched, and took a moment to respond.

“Hmm”, he said, rather slowly. “Thank you three for bringing this to my attention. We do have a few Margrets in this school, though none of them fit either of your descriptions. However, I shall call each of them into my office tomorrow, to ask them a few questions. Does anyone else know about this girl?”

“We've only told Hermione Granger and Ron and Emily Weasley”, Lilith told him.

“Ah. Well, no harm done, yet. But let's try not to tell any other students for now, shall we? If there is somebody in this castle who shouldn't be, I don't want my students to worry or stress themselves if there's no need, especially first or second years. I will, however, bring this to my staff’s attention. For now, I do not feel that there is much more to worry about other than this girl, or these girls, trying to scare you, for whatever reason. For now, I suggest you three go to bed. You have classes to attend tomorrow. You may sleep in one common room tonight, if you wish. Any other questions or concerns?”

Lilith, Harry, and Draco all said, “No sir.”

“Very well. I do promise to update you three if I find out anything else. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Professor.”

Lilith, Harry, and Draco decided to sleep in the Gryffindor common room, as it was closest and they all needed sleep. They didn't speak a word all the way to Draco’s common room, where he spoke the password (Godric’s Hollow), bade Lilith and Harry goodnight, gestured in a welcoming manner toward a fold out couch against a far wall, and headed to his dormitory. Without another word, Lilith and Harry folded out the couch bed, covered up with the warm, comfy sheets, and fell asleep.

 

Lilith and Harry awoke the next morning to find their bags, maps, schedules, and books all at the foot of the fold out, along with a short note from the headmaster, explaining that he had taken the liberty to send them with a house elf while they slept. The day went by rather smoothly, other than the double History of Magic lesson, during which Lilith and Harry could feel McGonigall’s gaze practically burn through their skulls. At the end of class, of course, she gave the students homework.

“Three rolls of parchment on the origins of witch burning, to be handed in on Monday! I'd ask for it tomorrow, but as it is the weekend, I unfortunately can not!” During lunch, they told Ron, Hermione, and Emily about this. Draco didn't need the information, as the Gryffindors had shared the class.

“God, she's foul!” Hermione exclaimed loudly, banging her fist on the table and causing pumpkin juice to fly out of a jug into a platter of ham sandwiches, which then disappeared and was replaced automatically with another. Lilith and Harry's last lesson that day (Potions, shared with Hufflepuff) was a good one, because one, their requested potions were handed to them in two vials each (Professor Aberforth snuck Lilith a third one, with a note attached), and two, they learned how to make a potion called the Draught of Daydreams, which, Professor Aberforth told them, would place the drinker into a very deep sleep, and send them into one long, or several short, dream states that held answers to one’s most desperate questions. At the end of the lesson, he allowed them to fill a vial each with this potion, asking that they leave him the remainder for his storage closet.

After class he also pulled Lilith aside again, and told Harry he could stay behind as well, because this would only take a moment. “Are you alright, Ms. Copper?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. Listen, that extra vial I slipped you, it's not an anxiety potion, nor is it Draught of Daydreams. I urge you not to use it until you really need it. Also, I ask you not to read the note just yet. Try to keep this particular vial away from the others, and you will know, when the time comes, why I ask this of you. Understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. I trust you. You and Mr. Potter may go.”

Confused and awkward, Lilith and Harry left the classroom and headed to the common room to put away their bags. “What was that all about?” asked Harry when they were well out of earshot.

“No idea”, replied Lilith, “But was it just me, or did Professor Aberforth seem a bit...off, to you?”

“Yeah, now that you mention it. But he's probably just tired or something.”

“Maybe. But he really does seem determined that I'll know when to read this note, and when to drink this potion. Makes me a bit nervous, really. The way he sort of...sort of…”

“Stressed it, I know. I felt that too. Wait! Lilith!”

“What!?” Lilith jumped so hard that she nearly dropped her potions book.

“Sorry. No, I'm just thinking. Maybe Headmaster Lupin has told him about Margret, and this potion is something that can help us?”

“That does make sense. That's probably the case.” As soon as they reached the common room, Lilith went right up to her dormitory, where she placed the extra vial, along with its note, inside a pair of socks near the bottom of her chest of belongings. The others, she placed inside her empty suitcase, which she pushed gently underneath the bed.

“Lilith? Hello? Earth to Lilith? OI!” Lilith jumped and nearly fell out of her seat. Realizing that she had overflowed her goblet with tea, she shook her head vigorously, forcing herself back to her senses.

“Lilith, are you alright? I mean, you say you are”, said Harry, sounding concerned, “but are you actually? You've zoned out twice in the span of fifteen minutes.”

“Honestly, I don't know. I've felt really odd since right before we left the common room.”

“I think you need some rest.”

“ Probably. I don't know. Maybe.”

“Okay, that's it,” said Harry, grabbing a styrofoam to go box from the end of their table, “We're going to the common room, now. You need to relax.” Lilith agreed to this, although she had no idea why she suddenly felt so strange. It was a good thing these to go boxes were charmed not to break, she thought as they approached the common room, because she felt like she might fall before getting to the couch. Luckily, this did not happen, although she did lose her balance as soon as she reached the couch. She could hear Harry talking to her but couldn't make out his words...

Suddenly, Lilith wasn't at Hogwarts. She was standing on the edge of a high cliff, looking across at the other cliff about thirty feet away, searching for something, anything, that might give her a hint. “ M-master?”

She turned slowly, preparing to address the man behind her, who, she saw with a smirk of utter entertainment, was trembling in fear, fidgeting with sweaty fingers so that she was tempted to laugh. “Master?" The man repeated himself, begging for a response. For a moment longer, she stood there, smirking down at the man's pitiful face, savoring his nervousness and emotional distress. Finally, she spoke, in a voice that belonged, not to her, but to a woman much older.The voice was merciless and cold.

 

“Yes?”

“Master, I...I've done it,” the man said, running another hand through his sweaty brown hair.

“I am well aware that you have done it”, she said, scowling down at the cowering man, “but you seem to be trying to ask something of me. What is it?”

 

“Well, I thought, well, now that I, erm…”

“Let me finish your sentence for you. You thought that perhaps, now that you have done what I asked of you, you might ask to be released from the Thread of the Damned?”

“Yes, M-master. That's it.”

Lilith laughed. “I know that's it, Fool! And I shall keep my promise to you, but in due time! You are ungrateful. You have done but one task for me. What is it you expect before your release, some sort of...praise?” She sounded amused.

“N-no, Master. Not at all!”

“DO NOT LIE TO ME! I AM AN ACCOMPLISHED MASTER OF OCCLUMENCY!"

“I'm sorry, My Lord. I, I…”

“Enough.” This command was spoken softly, but with more venom than her shouts. The man fell silent, but remained shaking out of nerves and fear. “I have told you, I intend to keep my promise. However, there are several more tasks I am going to give you before I even consider it. You are nowhere near finished. I assure you, I will release you from the Thread, once I am finished with you. You have indeed proven useful to me so far.”

“Yes, master. I understand.”

“Ah, you understand. That's good. This means you also understand that you are about to be consequenced for defying me?”

“What? My Lord?”

“What? My Lord?” She mocked him bitterly. “Did I, or did I not, ask you to tell nobody at all about my plan to enhance the Thread?”

“Ah, ah…” the trembling man’s throat was suddenly very dry.

“Oh! We remember now, do we? You told your beloved muggle cousin about my plans, believing there wasn't any harm in it. You thought he would take it as a joke, because he doesn't know about the wizarding world, does he? SILENCE!” The man at her feet had begun to whine and choke in fear. “As it turns out, your cousin did indeed take it as a joke. Do you know what happened as a result?”

The man nodded silently, afraid to make a sound, lest his punishment become worse. She mocked his nod and snorted, then continued to speak. “He told somebody your joke. Know who it was?”

This time he shook his head, trying his best not to let out a sob. However, he thought he did know, he just didn't want to. “He told my most loyal servant, at his filthy muggle workplace.”

“Cr-crouch?” Asked the man, his fear confirmed.

“Yes. Crouch. My most loyal. Of course, as you can guess, Crouch brought it to me. Shame, an unnecessary death, all because of your disobedience.”

“You-you killed him?”

“You killed him?” More bitter mockery. “What, did you expect me to risk being found? Of course I killed him, Fool. But you need not worry, I shall not kill you, for you are still of good use. I shall, however, keep a much closer watch on you. Also, I will still have to punish you. I hope this will teach you your lesson.” With no further warning, she whipped her wand out of a robe pocket, pointed it at the man on the ground, and shouted, “CRUCIO!” The man's screaming was loud enough to wake the dead, which there were plenty of, buried all around here…

“LILITH! LILITH!”

Lilith woke up, flailing, screaming, and sweating. She felt several hands attempting to calm her and keep her in place. It took a few minutes before she came completely to her senses. When she did, Harry, Hermione, and Draco stood in front of her, all wearing shocked expressions. She was breathing heavily, and her head was pounding.

“What happened? Asked Harry, shocked beyond his nerves. “I went to the Ravenclaw common room to find Ron, Emily, and Hermione. Well, Ron and Emily just wanted to relax, so they didn't come. But we went to get Draco so we could all hang out and…”

“Lupin.”

“What?”

Between hyperventilating breaths, Lilith repeated herself. “Need--” pant --”Professor”-- pant --”Lupin.”


	8. Abrupt Return To Trouble

“Ah”, said the headmaster, once he had permitted them to enter. “I was getting ready to send for three of you. Good evening, Ms Granger. Roberta”, he now addressed a portrait of a middle aged woman in plain black robes with a kitten on her shoulder. “You may inform Rubeus that there will be no need to fetch them. They have come to me.”

“Certainly, Headmaster”, answered Roberta kindly, right before walking out of her frame. Lilith knew, from experience, that this was so she could visit another portrait of herself, in a room elsewhere, so she could pass the message. 

“Now”, Professor Lupin said, seating himself once again behind the desk. “If it’s alright with you four, I would like to quickly tell you why I was about to send for Ms Copper, Mr Potter, and Mr Malfoy. Is that quite alright?” The four of them nodded, and the headmaster continued. “Thank you. First of all, i would like to express my deepest apologies, as it hasn’t even been a week, and already six first year students are experiencing fear. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Professor!” Lilith exclaimed.

“No, it’s not!” Said Harry. 

“I’m sure that all four of you, and Mr and Ms Weasley, are more than sincere about helping me feel that this isn’t my fault”, he said, holding up a gentle hand to shush them, “and I thank you. However, I still acknowledge that it is my duty to find out what is going on, and the mere fact that there is something in this castle that shouldn’t be is very disturbing, as it could mean I lose my position as headmaster, if I cannot solve this.” 

“Um, Professor?” Harry jumped in, confused. “Did you say ‘something’?”

“Yes, Harry. I did. Which leads us, quite possibly, to the subject at hand. Lilith”, he addressed her in a soft voice, “You look like you have just come out of a house full of dementors, which leads me to believe that it is you who needs to speak to me. So if you find yourself able to speak, please tell me what has happened to make this visit so desperate.” 

Lilith did not answer right away. She gulped the glass of water in front of her and took several deep breaths before speaking. “I--I had a--a dream. But it didn’t really seem like a dream. I know dreams can seem real”, she said, seeing a few mouths open to interrupt, “but something about this one felt…”

“Over controlled”, finished Professor Lupin for her, seeing her struggle to explain. Relieved that he understood, she nodded. Then he asked, “What happened in the dream? Before you answer, let me rephrase. What did the person say or do? The person you became in the dream?”

Lilith almost choked on her second glass of water. “You, you know…”

“I believe I know what happened, yes. But I do not know who it was, and I need to bring this to the ministry’s attention. But before I explain any further, I need you to tell me what was said and done in this dream.”

Lilith drank more water, took another deep breath, and continued. She told them about standing on a high cliff, looking across some invisible barrier at another cliff, the feeling of searching for something. About the cowering man at her feet, and the conversations she had with him. Finally, she told them about using the cruciatus curse on the man before snapping out of the dream. Harry, Hermione,and Draco sat with mouths wide open, staring at Lilith with looks of horror. This simultaneous reaction might have seemed funny, had the situation been less serious. Headmaster Lupin, however, sat for a moment longer, taking in all that Lilith had told him. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. 

“Tell me”, he said, “You mentioned something about a promise to release this man. Any way you can think, for just a moment longer, to try and elaborate on this? Release him from what? A spell? A Curse?”

“Oh! Um, something about the...the trail of the dead.No, the thread of the dead…”

“Wait”, interrupted Lupin, “You’re not trying to say the Thread of the Damned, are you?”

“Yes sir. That’s what it was.” Lupin’s eyes grew wide, and his face went pale. He suddenly looked ten years older. 

“That’s impossible.”

“Professor?” The four students watched him get up and pace around the room for a bit. When he finally sat back down, he stil looked very pale. 

“Sorry”, he told them. “I just needed a moment to gather my thoughts. Yes,I believe that part of my theory was correct. But I never expected this.”

“Professor?” Said Lilith again, a bit louder this time. Lupin sighed, then addressed the students in front of him once more. 

“Let’s discuss Margret. This will put a few things into perspective for you three.” He pointed to Lilith, Harry, and Draco. “I believe that what you three are dealing with would generally be against the rules to mention, as you are first years, but as you are the ones dealing with it, I must ask you not to tell any of the other students. I shall inform all of my staff, so should you have any problems, go to staff. Do you understand?”

“Professor”, began Draco, “What…?”

“Do you understand!?”

“Yes sir!” Said all four students at once, taken aback.

“I’m sorry,” said Lupin, much calmer, “but I needed your word before continuing. I believe that you three” (pointing at Lilith, Harry, and Draco) “have encountered one of two things. A poltergeist, or a sorcerer. Whichever you are encountering, rest assured you are in great hands here at Hogwarts.” He stopped for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase his next sentence. “Now,” he said, “whatever this is, I feel sure you will encounter it again, but you” (pointing at Hermione) “and the Weasley twins may not.”

“Why?” Asked Hermione, a bit confused. 

“Because”, replied Lupin, “it will want to confuse your circle of friends, and possibly try to break you all apart, so it can get you each alone, mentally. Then it can do whatever it plans to carry out. Which, by the way, there will be no use in asking me,because it is never clear except to the poltergeist or sorcerer carrying out the plan.”

“So”, said Lilith, very slowly, “We don’t know which it is, or its intentions. But, does either of them ever take more than one form? And how does this connect us to the Thread of Death?”

“Thread of the Damned”, he corrected her gently, “and unfortunately, I have no idea. I hope none of you are upset with me for not being able to get rid of whatever is currently haunting you.”

“Of course not, Professor!” Said Lilith softly. “It’s not your fault, after all. And you’re doing your part, getting the ministry involved.”

The headmaster smiled and said, “Thank you. I wish everyone were as understanding as you four. But, to answer your question as to whether a poltergeist or sorcerer can take on more that one form, yes. They both can. The trouble is, neither of them will take the same two forms consistently like that.” He sighed. “This is why I fear we may not have either, but something else entirely. This is, as you said, the reason the ministry will be involved. Anyway, it’s two in the morning. I’m sure the four of you could use some sleep. Are there any further questions or concerns, before I sent for the caretaker?”

“No sir.”

“Very well.” He stood again to address Headmistress Roberta’s portrait. “Roberta.”

“Yes?”

“Might I trouble you one more time, to go and wake the caretaker again? I need to assure these four get to their common rooms safely.”

“Absolutely! Student safety is always important!” And she was gone. 

While they waited, Professor Lupin began telling them about various objects around the room, as he had watched them look around in curiosity more than once. He explained again about the previous headmasters on the wall. “We can talk more about them later. I believe there are also several books about this subject in the Hogwarts library.” He also pointed out a few of the objects on his desk. “This telescope is for looking at the stars and planets. THIS one”, he pointed to the smallest one, emitting a faint silvery glow in the dim; office light, “is a triascope. Any idea what it does, you four?”

Lilith, Hermione, and Draco shook their heads. Harry, however, answered. “That’s sort of a trick question.”

“Oh? Tell me, how so, Mr Potter?”

“Because triascopes are all different, but they all serve three different purposes each, hence--”

“Hence the name of the product. Very good, Harry. I see my good friend, Sirius, has taught you a thing or two.”

Harry grinned. “Yeah. He owns…’

“Three of them, for the sake of being ironic. Yes, i know. I’ve always loved him for being so easily entertained, and very funny himself. Very big relief during, erm, certain times, when we came to Hogwarts.” There was silence for a moment. Then--

“Can you tell us about that book, Professor?”, asked Hermione, pointing to the gigantic, dusty volume sat atop the podium in the corner.

“I’m afraid not, Ms. Granger. That’s probably the one thing in this office I cannot permit you to ask about.” There was a loud knock on the office door. “Ah, it’s Rubeus”, said Professor Lupin. “Come in!” The door opened, a d a man walked in. A giant figure of a man, twice, maybe three times the size of the average human, with long tangled black hair and beard, dressed in a moleskin overcoat that could have passed as a rug. 

“Hallo, Headmaster”, he said in a surprisingly gentle tone that didn’t match at all with his gravelly voice. “Is summat the matter?”

“No, Rubeus. Everything is just fine. So sorry to wake you at such an ungodly hour, but would you be so kind as to escort these students back to their common rooms?” Rubeus looked at Lilith, Harry, Hermione, and Draco, noticing them for the first time. 

“OOh! Didn’ see yeh there! I’m Rubeus Hagrid, caretaker and grounds keeper here at Hogwarts!” The four students offered their hands, which Rubeus shook, along with the rest of their arm. They didn’t talk at all on the way to their common rooms except to say goodnight to Rubeus and to one another. Lilith reached their own common room, bade one another goodnight, and headed to their separate dormitories. Lilith used her wand for light (“Lumos”, she whispered), to make her way toward her bed, where she got underneath the covers and put out the light (“Nox!”). Settling her head on her feathered pillow, she thought about Professor Lupin, who had thought they would be upset with him for not getting every single job done at once, and about Harry, who now had something else to worry about. Also, she thought of Draco, who had had this terror sprung upon him all of a sudden. 

Then, there was Hermione and the Weasley twins, who had not yet experienced anything to do with this, other than being informed about it. Hopefully, this would all be over before that could happen, she thought as she finally drifted off to sleep. However, little did she know, things were about to get much, much worse.

 

The next few weeks passed, without so much as a sign or whisper from Margret, or any disturbing dreams on Lilith’s part.. Most of the classes were a breeze. “They’ll get harder”, said Brandon Childress, one of the Slytherin prefects. “You just wait until third year.” For now, Lilith didn’t care about third year. She simply wanted to get through this one, which had proven scary at first, having had all those odd experiences at the beginning of the month. However, as she had informed the headmaster last night, all these things had, very strangely, stopped happening, leaving her and her friends to think and learn their lessons freely. That is, right up until the last week of September, in the middle of a Transfiguration lesson with Professor Albus. 

Slytherin and Gryffindor were sharing today’s Transfiguration class. This was the last class of the day, and a particularly fun lesson, at least in Lilith’s opinion. Professor Albus had divided them into groups of three, and asked them to help one another with three different objects, trying, of course, to turn them into something else. Lilith, Harry, and Draco found seats near the front of the class. On their table, Professor Albus put and apple they were to turn into an onion, a small cauldron into a cereal bowl, and an empty ink bottle, into a salt shaker. They practiced, and practiced, all the while discussing their plans for October, which was three days away. 

“I think I’ll try out for Quidditch, like Emily”, said Lilith. "I sort of want to see my dad, maybe hug him and ask how he is at home…”

“Oh, bother Quidditch”, said Draco. “I personally want to join some kind of club, or group. Maybe I’ll even start one.”

“What have you got in mind?”, asked Harry. “I might join you.”

“Well, I don’t really know yet. It’s still just a thought.”

“There are other sports as well”, said Lilith, who had just managed to shrink the cauldron a bit, but not quite get it to change shape. “Quidditch isn’t the only one. There’s also the Hogwarts track team, but I don’t think I’ll qualify for that until fourth year. I heard some courses have to be done near the black lake, and the forbidden forest. Maybe I’ll try out for racing.”

“Not to knock you”, said Draco, “but isn’t racing a bit extreme? I mean, we just started our flying lessons last week. Quidditch is one thing, given all the positions.”

“Hm, you’re right. I think I’ll start with Quidditch. I’ll probably just try out for keeper, or…” she stopped mid sentence, staring in the direction of the doorway, obviously horrified. 

“Erm, Lilith? Hello?” Draco waved a hand in front of her face. When he and Harry realized she was looking at the doorway, they followed her gaze, and gasped audibly. There, at the threshold, stood Margret, back in her geeky form, glasses and all. Then, Lilith heard a disturbing sound, somewhere between a scream and a laugh. She jerked her head all around, trying to see who it was, then the scene around her changed. She was the grown witch again. This time, she was standing on the other cliff. She’d done it! She’d summoned the bridge! She cackled loudly as she ran through the tall trees, ran for about ten minutes until… There it was. In front of her stood a tall brick building, with a large sign out front reading 

ST GRETCHEN’S AMERICAN WIZARDING MENTAL ASYLUM

She continued to cackle uncontrollably. She’d made it! Now all she needed to do was…

 

Lilith opened her eyes. It was dark, and she was drenched in sweat. After a moment, her eyes and ears began to adjust. She was in a hospital bed, and she was surrounded by other hospital beds. Judging by the snoring, she gathered she’d at least been here for a night. Wiping sweat from her forehead with her bedsheets, she noticed a door ajar at the other end of the room. THere was a light on, and she heard two voices, although she couldn’t make out what the were saying. Slowly, she sat all the way up. Her muscles ached, and her head pounded. Suddenly, the door on the other side of the room creaked open, and Professor Lupin walked out, alongside a tall blonde haired woman in scrubs with a name tag that read “Madam Zelda”. 

Madam Zelda was carrying Liliths robes in her arms, freshly laundered. Lilith looked down and realized she was wearing quite a different pair. Both Professor Lupin and Madam Zelda saw that Lilith was sitting up, and approached her. “Hello, Lilith", said Lupin kindly. 

“Hello. What time is it?”

“Six in the morning”, responded the nurse. “It is also Saturday. I can let you change and send you to breakfast with the headmaster, or I can keep you in the hospital wing for a few more hours. Which would you prefer?” 

“Well, I’m waking up, so if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go with Professor Lupin.”

“I don’t mind at all. We’ll just get you changed, and you can follow him.”

So, curtains closed around the bed she had just gotten out of, Lilith changed back into her robes, then handed the dirty ones to Madam Zelda and followed the headmaster out of the hospital wing. 

“How are you feeling, Lilith?” He asked, placing a gentle hand upon her shoulder. 

“Other than very hungry, I guess I’m fine. Thanks for asking. How about you, Professor?”

“A bit stressed, with what’s just been confirmed to still be happening. Oh, it isn’t your fault!” He said, seeing the look on her face. “Not at all! No, I don’t know why, but I pretty much fell for the trick. Obviously, we were supposed to feel like it was over with. And yes, I’d quite imagine you were hungry. You’ve been asleep for three days. By the way, if you don’t mind, can we eat in my office, instead of the Great Hall?”

“Sure, Professor, but..”

“Because there’s something I’d like to ask you.” He waited until they were settled in the office, and Lilith had eaten her fourth helping of steak and eggs, before he asked, “Lilith, what did you see in this one?”

“Sorry?”

“The dream you had when you passed out after seeing Margret in Professor Albus’s classroom. Don’t worry”, he added, “I only know because I talked to Draco and Harry. They told me you showed the same signs as the first time. Now, I hate to pry, but this is important. I must report it to the ministry. What did you see this time?”

Slowly and clearly, Lilith told him about the more recent dream, in as much detail as she could. “And this asylum”, said Lupin, “was it called St Gretchen’s?”

“Yes. But, why?”

“Mm. I thought so. Lilith, I believe you just witnessed a mass breakout from an underground American Wizarding asylum.”

“Wh-what?”

“Here.” He pulled a newspaper (The Daily Prophet) out of his desk drawer and slit it toward her. Right on the front page was a picture of the very same Asylum from her dream. The caption read:

SUDDEN MASS BREAKOUT FROM AMERICAN WIZARDING MENTAL HEALTH ASYLUM PUTS MAGICAL GOVERNMENT ON HIGH ALERT, COULD POSSIBLY EFFECT ENTIRE WIZARDING WORLD

“Bloody hell”, she whispered.


	9. Commotion in the Great Hall/Draco's Story

“You actually saw this place? THIS place, specifically?”

‘Yes, Hermione. I think she’s answered that question from you at least four times already.”

“It’s alright, I suppose. You can’t exactly blame her for being shocked, Ron.” Said Lilith. They were out on the grounds, dressed warmly and huddled underneath a large tree near the Great Lake, having finished their homework (luckily there wasn’t much of it. Lilith didn’t think she’d be able to concentrate).

“It is rather shocking”, said Emily, “but I think Ron’s right. We should probably stop asking her about it. Let her breathe. I mean, she hasn’t even been out of the hospital wing a whole day.”

“Thanks”, said Lilith in a quiet voice. “Please let’s drop it for a while. Sorry”, she said to Hermione.

“It’s alright.” Hermione blushed. “I was being a bit repetitive.”

“Harry, are you alright?” Lilith asked. “You haven’t said a word since after lunch.” Harry turned suddenly to look in her direction.

“Hm? What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. No worries. I’m just deep in thought. I’m beginning to wonder why this, er...whatever it is, is effecting you, me and Draco specifically. Speaking of, where is Draco anyway?”

“No idea”, said Lilith, “but I’m a bit concerned, myself. He did say he’d meet us here. D’you think he’s alright? We’ve been out here nearly two hours.”

“Probably got caught up reading in the library”, said Hermione, although she didn’t sound entirely convinced.

“I don’t think it would hurt to go inside and look for him”, said Harry after a few more minutes. “It’s getting too cold for me to just sit here. Who’s with me?” The other four agreed, so they got up, made sure their wands were in their pockets, and headed back toward the castle. They started in the library, as that’s where they had been when Draco had promised to meet up with them outside. He wasn’t there, so they decided to try the Gryffindor common room.

“Godric’s Hollow”, said Harry, remembering the password. They entered, and asked around, but nobody had seen Draco for the last few hours. Then, Ron and Harry looked for him in the boys’ dormitory, but he wasn't there. Lilith, Hermione, and Emily waited outside each of the boys’ restrooms they knew of, but each time, Harry and Ron came out, shrugging. After checking the Slytherin common room, searching the grounds for a bit, and checking the Gryffindor common room one last time, they began to feel worried. Instead of going back outside, they decided to gather in the Ravenclaw common room until dinner time, by which time they still had not heard from Draco. Hungry and hoping to find him in the Great Hall, they all entered together.

Ron, Emily, and Hermione sat at their house table, Lilith and Harry at theirs, so they could search the crowd for their friend from different angles as they ate. However, there was no sign of Draco Malfoy all through the meal, nor afterward, or later in the night, when Ron, Emily, and Hermione headed to bed. Lilith And Harry, however, could not sleep. Which,in a way, was a bit lucky, because had they gone to sleep, they wouldn’t have heard the hard tap tap tap on the common room window at half past midnight, and they wouldn’t have opened it, to find James, Harry’s godfather’s owl, hovering there and waiting to come in. The owl flew in as soon as the window was open, and landed in one of the arms of the couch. Giving one another curious looks, Lilith and Harry sat on the couch, Harry untying the letter from the owl’s leg and stroking its grey head.

“Did you write to your godfather recently?” Asked Lilith.

“Yes, Harry confessed, “but I wrote him right after your last, er…”

“My last dream? But why is this owl here so late at night, even if your godfather did manage to respond a bit late?”

“I dunno, that’s what concerns me.” He then unfolded the letter and began to read aloud.

“Dear Harry, I am very concerned to hear about your friend Lilith. Remus elaborated to me a bit further, and told me she had mentioned the Thread of the Damned. Harry, I want you to make sure Lilith has somebody near her at all times! She must go nowhere alone! Whatever this being, sorcerer, poltergeist, or something worse, it is trying to get you all alone, individually! Please, whatever you do, stick together! You, Lilith, Draco, and the Weasley twins! I’m afraid I can’t tell yo more currently.  
Stay safe,  
Sirius

Near the bottom of the parchment, they spotted what looked at first to be red ink, but they noticed it was a bit too splotchy. There were words, written in what they now knew was---

“Blood”, they said together in strained voices. Harry read the extra words.

“It’s too late. She has set us free. The Thread will be enhanced.”

“Something tells me this wasn’t your godfather’s doing”, said Lilith, voice shaking with fear. “What do those words even mean?”

“I dunno, but I think we should keep James in here tonight. Look.” Harry pointed at the owl’s leg, the same leg off of which they had taken the letter. It was crooked, and the owl was hardly able to move.

“We could take him to the hospital wing”, said Lilith.

“What?”

“I think there’s always someone on duty up there. I’ve only met one, Madam Zelda, but she was wide awake at six in the morning when I woke up there. Perhaps she’s there now, or else there’s someone there who can help!”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go. We can take the letter with us, in case we run into the headmaster.”

“Maybe we should worry about that letter later. It’s Sunday, no school. We could take it to Professor Lupin later.”

"I think you were misinformed about how long you slept. Today is Sunday. But do you still think we can take James to the hospital wing?"

"Damn. I was simply told it was the weekend. I guess I just assumed it was Saturday. Anyway, maybe this was simply a dirty trick. Let's not go to Professor Lupin just yet. But we still need to get that owl to the hospital wing."

Harry agreed, folded the letter, pocketed it, and took James in his arms. Then they walked out of the common room, Lilith leading the way to the hospital wing. Luckily, they met nobody on the way there. When they knocked on the door to the hospital wing, it was opened right away by Madam Zelda, who at first seemed shocked to see two first years at the door, then at the hurt owl in Harry’s arms.

“Of course I can take care of the owl, Dear”, she said when Harry explained the situation, leaving out the part about the message written in blood. “Just check back tomorrow after lunch, yes?”

“Thanks, Madam Zelda.”

“No problem, Dear.” Relieved, they began to make their way back to the Slytherin common room neither of them speaking a word. They were passing the doors of the Great Hall when they heard commotion coming from inside it. There was shouting and scuffling. Thinking it was probably just two staff arguing, Lilith and Harry continued toward the stairs to the dungeon. Then the shouting voice caught their attention.

“Get away from me! Leave me alone! HELP!”

“Draco!” They exclaimed, bursting through the doors. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust, but when they finally did, they were shocked and terrified at what they saw. Draco was running around the Hall, dodging what looked like bright red orbs, being thrown at him by non other than---

“MARGRET!” Harry shouted. “LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” Shouted Lilith out of desperation, not really expecting it to work. Sure enough, Margret, in her non geeky form, seemed to simply materialize behind them, and shoved them forward into the Hall, giving herself the chance to slam the doors.

“RUN!” Shouted Draco, and Lilith turned just in time to see Margret throwing several of the large red orbs from her fingertips. Lilith managed to duck, just as the magic was inches from her face. She, Harry, and Draco spent what must have been another five minutes running around the Great Hall, dodging the red orbs, and causing dust and debris to fly everywhere. Several times they tried to escape, only to have their path blocked last second by a very entertained Margret. Finally, the Hall doors bursted open again, and in came Professor McGonigall, alongside Professor Snape. Both were holding their wands at the ready, but Margret had already disappeared, seemingly into thin air, the moment the doors had made a sound.

Slowly, McGonigall and Snape lowered their wands, Snape wearing his usual neutral expression, McGonigall a face of pure fury. Her eyes might disintegrate Margrets red orbs, thought Lilith. Also, looking around, she noticed the Hall was no longer a destroyed mess. McGonigall saw this too, which seemed to fuel her rage.

“WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU THREE BEEN DOING!?” She shouted, “ALL THE RACKET YOU WERE MAKING, YOU COULD HAVE ROUSED THE WHOLE HALL!!!”

“Professor”, began Draco, “It wasn't Lilith or Harry’s fault! You see, Margret…”

“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN WHO STARTED THIS, ALL THREE OF YOU ARE INVOLVED! AND DON’T GO BLAMING YOUR IMAGINARY FRIEND…”

“She’s not imaginary!” All three students shouted at once.

“Enough.” Professor Snape finally spoke. “Minerva, I will take these three to their common rooms. You may go back to bed, if you wish.”

Looking as if some of Margrets red orbs might come out of her eyes, McGonigall turned and stormed away.

“Come, you three”, said Snape, gesturing for them to follow him. “As it happens,” he continued when they were halfway down the stairs, “I do believe you. Minerva, however, will literally CHOOSE not to believe students, simply because it means that she can remain angry at them.”

“So, er…” started Lilith. She cleared her throat and spoke again. “So Professor Lupin did inform the staff?”

“He informed some of us. Minerva found out simply by eavesdropping, and I myself was informed a bit late, as I happened to be...busy, at the time.”

“You really do believe us, Professor?” Asked Draco, still looking paler than usual from his experience just now.

“Yes”, Snape replied simply, “but I do not think we need to continue this discussion until tomorrow afternoon. Mr Malfoy, you may sleep with the Slytherins tonight, if you wish.”

“Yes please, Professor,” he responded, giving Harry and Lilith point driven looks.

“Very well. Goodnight. Try and get some rest.”

“Good night, Professor. Phoenix tear.” The door swung open and the three of them settled on the same couch James had landed on earlier.

“I suppose you want to know where I went”, Draco said automatically. Lilith and Harry nodded. “Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to tell you. Just Listen!” He said hastily, seeing their mouths open in frustration. “I can’t tell you, because I don’t know. I had promised to meet you after I finished my homework in the library, so I finished it, put my things in my dormitory, and headed out to find you. Halfway across the grounds, I started to feel really tired. Next thing I knew I woke up really cold and weak. I had no idea where I was. It was too dark to see. Then i passed out again, because I was aching all over,and the pain was too much. All of a sudden, I woke up on a table in the Great Hall. Just as I woke up enough to move and think, I headed to the doors, but was suddenly cornered by Margret. Then, well, you were there for the rest of it.”

He finished. Lilith and Harry sat in scared silence, unable to move or speak, trying their hardest to take in everything Draco had just said. When they finally spoke, it was in hushed, frightened voices, Lilith and Harry showed Draco the letter, and the extra message, written in blood. He, too, was puzzled about its meaning.

“The Thread.” Draco whispered. “Whoever this is, they must be referring the the Thread of Doom---”

“Thread of the Damned”, Lilith corrected. “Sorry, I’ve just been thinking enough about it, I guess.”

“Well, whatever it’s called, it’s really mysterious. Why does Headmaster Lupin avoid it whenever we bring it up?”

“It’s not just him,” said Harry, “A few days ago, i mentioned it to Professor Snape, and he asked me if I’d been practicing my blocking spell. And you’ve just read my godfather’s letter. He hardly said anything about it.”

“Whatever’s going on”, said Draco, sounding more terrified by the minute, “I think we can all agree that we don’t like it.” They spent their time until breakfast sitting on the couch, occasionally drinking water, using the bathroom, and helping themselves to the large bowl nest to the common room door that kept refilling itself with various snacks. Draco, having had no dinner, kept grabbing more. There were two things for certain, thought Lilith, as the three of them set out to the Great Hall for breakfast.

One, they would most likely not run into Margret during meals, because she seemed to disappear whenever there were other people around besides her, Harry, and Draco. Two, Harry’s godfather was right. Whatever was happening, it seemed best for them to stick together, and try their best not to drift apart. This idea was particularly important to her because Harry, Draco, Hermione, and the Weasley twins were the most friends she’d ever made at one time, and some of the best she’d had in a while.


	10. Suspicious of Aberforth

They ate breakfast together at the Gryffindor table, avoiding the subject of Margret and the Thread of the Damned. They focused instead on today's class schedules. “Harry”, Lilith said, startling him in the midst of a gulp of orange juice. “Sorry”, she continued, helping him mop it off the table with napkins, “but look at this. We've got no classes with Hufflepuff today.”

“Or most of this week”, Harry added, taking a look at his own schedule. “Hm. Bit interesting.” 

“Probably the headmaster's way of keeping us together as much as possible”, Draco put in thoughtfully. “That would make sense.”

“Especially considering, er, everything”, Ron finished, somewhat lamely. However, they all knew what he meant, and finished their breakfast in silence. The bell rang for their first class, which was potions, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Ron and Hermione had a few more classes scheduled with Hufflepuff than Harry and Lilith, but they had no time to ponder this as they set out for Professor Aberforth’s classroom with Draco. As usual, the potions master greeted the class with roll call, before giving them a kind “Good morning.” 

“Today”, he said as he began writing upon the chalk board directly behind him, “I will be teaching you how to brew a potion often referred to as 'Bottled Confusion’. Can any of you tell me why it has a reputation for this title, or what it is actually called?” 

Beside Lilith, Harry raised his hand, as did Draco, a few seats in front of them. 

“Mr. Potter”, said Professor Aberforth, “I believe you had your hand up a few seconds before Mr. Malfoy.”

“Thanks, Professor. Bottled Confusion is a potion that, if drank by the brewer, causes a state of disorientation in anyone within a fourth of a mile from them, hence the nickname. I don't know what it's actually called”, he added, a bit embarrassed. 

“Take ten points for Slytherin anyhow, Mr. Potter. However, can you tell me, Mr. Malfoy, what this potion’s technical name is, and what it translates to?” 

“Yes, Professor. The actual name of this potion is listed in most books as Vashumil Portatagoli, which translates from goblin to English as Revenge of the Intelligent.” 

“Very good. Ten points for Gryffindor. Your father has taught you well, I see.”

“I guess so”, Draco replied. The hint of a scowl in his voice was obvious, but Professor Aberforth did not seem to catch it. Without further ado, the potions master asked them to begin heating their cauldrons while he finished writing instructions on the chalk board. 

“How do you know that kind of detail about this potion?”, Lilith asked Harry quietly as she lit a fire underneath her cauldron with her wand. “The potion books only tell us the names of the potion and how to make them. And the descriptions are never that detailed.” Harry nodded, then held up a finger. 

“Let me light my fire, then I'll tell you. There. Okay, Sirius has explained a few things to me about certain potions, and he's had this one used on him before. He's never really gone into great detail about it.”

“I'd imagine not! It sounds horrifying!” 

“Yeah, it does.”

“Now”, said Aberforth, turning to face them, “I will give you thirty minutes to follow these instructions.” He pointed to the writing on the board. “Once you have gathered up all your ingredients and materials, I will start the time.” While not extremely difficult, Vashumil Portatagoli did prove a bit of a challenge. For one, certain measure had to be exact, as well as particular numbers of clockwise stirs versus counterclockwise. Some even had to be half stirs in one direction, full stirs in the other. Otherwise, it was a fairly easy brew. At the end of class, the students were told that they would be graded on this potion in exactly a week's time. As usual, Professor Aberforth asked Lilith and Harry to hang behind for a minute. 

“Ms. Copper”, he said gently, lowering his voice in case of passing eavesdroppers, “I heard about your most recent encounter, involving Harry and Draco.” Lilith sighed, rolled her eyes, and hung her head. Clearly, she thought, it was impossible to drop these particular subjects for even one morning. “I'm sorry to bring it up”, said Professor Aberforth, catching her mannerisms. “I simply wanted to make sure you were alright.” Lilith nodded, sighed again, and said, 

“Yes, sorry Professor. It's just--”

“Frustrating, I know.”

(How understated, she thought.)

“However”, he continued, “I'm glad you're alright. By the way, you haven't read that letter yet, have you?”

“No sir”, she responded, a bit awkwardly, “I'd actually sort of---”

“Forgotten?” Was that amusement she heard in his voice? Probably not, she told herself. Maybe she was just paranoid. “It's alright”, finished Professor Aberforth, still with the hint of probably imagined amusement, “You will know when you need it, I'm quite sure. Oh, speaking of letters, here.” He scribbled a note on a piece of parchment and handed it to Lilith, just as the bell rang to signal the start of next class (History of Magic). “This is to inform Professor McGonagall that it was I who held you back. Oh, and Ms Copper?”

“Yes, Professor?”

“If you care at all to consider my advice, the signing up for Quidditch tryouts is almost over with. I think Quidditch just might be a very good form of temporary distraction from current events. I have a copy of the sign up sheet here on my desk. Would you and Mr Potter care to sign up?”

They hesitated for a brief moment, but students for the next class were beginning to file in, so Lilith and Harry both signed the tryouts sheet, Lilith applying for a position as Beater, Harry for Seeker. Then, hoping against hope that McGonagall might actually accept their reasoning for once, they headed to her classroom, which they would be sharing with Ravenclaw again. 

Professor McGonagall, as they had unfortunately suspected, was not understanding of their reasoning at all. She read Professor Aberforth’s note, insisted that they must have written it themselves, tore it to shreds, and threw it in the trash, before taking twenty points from Slytherin and, ignoring their angry protests, continued to teach the class. By the end of it, she had taken twenty more points from Slytherin for their continued protests, and fifty from Ravenclaw, when Ron shouted at her, calling her a name that she pointed out would not go over well with his mother, who she planned to write to about it before she went to bed tonight. On top of it all, she gave them all extended homework (“Four rolls of parchment on the March of Giants AND the Witches’ protesting of the right to teach!”) leaving them all fuming as they stormed out of the classroom, some of them scowling at Lilith, a few at Ron. 

“It’s not my fault she’s a miserable old loon”, he said under his breath as he pulled on a jacket to follow Lilith and Harry out onto the grounds for Herbology. Today, Professor Knowlson divided them into groups of three, gave them gloves, aprons, and sheers, and asked them to trim a few specific large plants, each of them in a different greenhouse. Lilith, Ron and Harry ended up in one greenhouse, Emily and Hermione, along with a student they didn't catch the name of, were in one a few doors away. Given their unspoken agreement not to mention Margret or the Thread unless absolutely necessary, they stayed mostly quiet as they trimmed the large bush they had been assigned to, which they hadn’t been told the name of. It also kept extending its thickest leaves and attempting to slap them randomly. They had been at it for nearly ten minutes before any of then actually spoke. It was Lilith who broke the silence.

“Harry”, she said, beating one of the leaves away from her face as hard as she could, “Have you noticed how Professor Aberforth has been sort of, erm...different, lately? I mean, ever since the day he gave me that extra potion and the note he asked me not to read?”

“Yeah, I have, actually. There’s something odd about him, for sure. He’s not who he was before, well…”

“Exactly. Which makes me wonder if something’s the matter.”

“What?” said Ron, a bit emphatically, as he was currently avoiding getting slapped by the bush. “Why would he give you a note, for YOU, and ask you not to read it?” Lilith and Harry explained to Ron about how Professor Aberforht had been asking Lilith questions in very awkward tones, and strongly emphasizing that she would know, when the time came, to read the note and take that potion. 

“That sounds a bit--”

“Yeah, we know,” said Lilith, “But Professor Aberforth seems nice enough. I don’t think he’d actually try and hurt us. I mean, he is a teacher after all.”

“So’s McGONAGALL!” shouted Harry, giving the bush a hard smack with his sheers, as it had managed to hit him with a particularly pointy leaf in the back of his head. 

 

During lunch, Lilith and Harry wandered over to the Gryffindor table to sit on either side of Draco, who greeted them enthusiastically, before asking curiously what Professor Aberforth had wanted earlier. Again, they explained about his odd behavior as of late, and about the potion and the note. “Strange”, was seemingly all Draco could say for about a minute. “Really strange. But I reckon he's right about Quidditch, though. It does sort of take one’s mind off of things.” Between bites of beef stew, Lilith wrote a letter to her father, telling him she was alright, and that she’d signed up for Quidditch, and would he come watch her play if she made the team? Harry agreed to let her send it via Hedwig after their last class, which was Charms, shared with Ravenclaw again. 

“I agree”, she said, “James needs rest. Or maybe just to go back home to Sirius.”

“I was actually thinking more along that line”, replied Harry, pulling out a quill and parchment himself. “I think I should probably write him, to let him know what happened to his owl, and that I’ve signed up for Quidditch.”

During charms class, Lilith and Harry sat beside one another, simultaneously talking about Quidditch, and practicing to make the little tea cups in front of them turn from white to silver. “I hope we both make the team”, said Lilith dreamily, managing to turn her tea cup a sort of dull gray. “I really want to see my dad, and would absolutely love to meet your godfather.”

“And I’d like to meet your dad”, said Harry, whose cup had become shiny and glittery, but not quite managed change color. “i wrote about you in my letter to Sirius, letting him know it would be nice if he could meet my new friends.”

“I wonder if I even have the skills to play Quidditch. I mean sure, i can fly a bit, but I don’t think I’ve ever done much that would be considered beater skilled.”

“I’ve played baseball. It’s an American muggle sport”, he explained at the look of curiousity on Lilith’s face. “I sort of like it. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia sort of turn their noses up at it, but Dudley’s sort of interested. Sirius encourages it. Vernon and Petunia only let us play it because it keeps us out of the house a lot. Dudley learned about it from his friend Zack. He’s from America, and he attends Dudley’s muggle school.” By now, his tea cup had gone beyond silver. It was now shiny and black. 

“How is it like Quidditch?” asked Lilith, whose cup was beginning to look more and more like silver. 

“Well, it isn’t. Not entirely. Just the beater part, really. They have clubs, but they’re called bats. Someone tosses the ball at you, then you try and hit it as hard as you can, then you run.”

“Ah. I get it, I think.” Lilith had come very close to turning her cup silver. Harry’s, however, had somehow gone back to its original white color. 

“Ooh, Ms Copper,” said Professor Tittle, passing by and mopping his head with a rag as usual, “Very close. Unfortunately, we have about a minute before the bell rings. Would you like to practice on this for homework? You can bring it in Wednesday, and I’ll give you extra credit.”

“Sure! Thanks, Professor!”

“Not at all, Dear. Not at all.” He permitted Harry to do this as well. As soon as the bell rang, Lilith and Harry headed straight to the hospital wing to check on James. As hoped, Madam Zelda had mended his leg and wing. Thanking her, they headed to the owlery, where Harry tied his letter to Sirius to James’s leg, Lilith’s letter to Hedwig’s leg, and off the two owls flew, after affectionately nipping Harry’s and Lilith’s fingers. Glad the day was over, they talked, all the way to the common room, about how they really hoped they would make the Quidditch team together, as they really wanted to meet one another’s much-talked-about family. Once they reached the common room, they settled on their favorite couch against the wall, willing to hold off their homework until after dinner, and talked some more. 

“Today has been suspiciously good”, said Lilith. 

“Please don’t jinx it.”

“You know, I really am sort of worried about Professor Aberforth. D’you think something’s the matter with him?”

“I really don’t know, but can we try not to worry about that just now?”

“Oh, alright”, she said, but she couldn’t help it. She was, indeed, very worried. She knew there was something off about Professor Aberforth, she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. However, Harry was right. Maybe they shouln’t be so paranoid about such a good day. Or should they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it took a while to post this chapter! I've not been feeling well. But I'm back! I hope this chapter is intriguing!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you are enjoying book one in The Adventures of Lilith Copper. As I said in the summary, this is an alternate universe, so certain characters will be a bit different. Please feel free to comment if you'd like to see more.


End file.
